THE south-west community now has 24/7 access to four more Automated External Defibrillators (AED) after a partnership between Moyne Shire Council and Ambulance Victoria saw the lifesaving devices moved outside public buildings.

The AEDs were previously located indoors at the Port Fairy and Mortlake Council offices, Port Fairy Community Services Centre and Gardens Caravan Park, but have now been moved to the outside of the buildings to make them more accessible to the public in emergency situations.

Moyne Shire mayor, Cr Ian Smith, said while the life-saving devices were previously listed with Ambulance Victoria, they were only accessible during office hours.

“We have now moved them outdoors, so they can be used whenever needed, 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” he said.

“We have worked with Ambulance Victoria to make sure the defibrillators are in prominent locations and the details have been updated, so in an emergency, members of the public can be directed to the nearest AED location.”

Cr Smith said the four new publicly accessible AEDs would add to the list of others available around the town, such as at the Port Fairy Library in Sackville Street, Mortlake Community Hub in Dunlop Street, and the Mailors Flat Hall.

“We know that in a cardiac emergency, access to an AED as quickly as possible can make a huge difference, so we will continue to explore other locations around the Shire where we can move AEDs to a publicly accessible location,” he said.