Tauranga Rotary volunteers are hitting the streets to make sure defibrillators can be found when every second counts.

Members of Rotary Tauranga Te Papa and Rotary Pāpāmoa are working with Hato Hone St John to check the location and details of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) across the city.

The project began as a pilot more than two years ago between Rotary Tauranga and the Hato Hone St John Tauranga Area Committee.

It is now being expanded to a wider area, with volunteers checking AEDs already listed on the 111 emergency database, identifying devices not yet recorded and highlighting areas where a publicly accessible 24/7 AED could benefit the community.

Rotary Tauranga Te Papa member Alan Hitchcock said keeping the information up to date could make a crucial difference during an emergency.

“The aim is to ensure information held on the 111 emergency database remains accurate and current so that emergency operators can direct first responders to nearby AEDs when they are needed most,” he said.

An AED delivers an electric shock to a person experiencing sudden cardiac arrest, helping to restore a normal heart rhythm.

“Using a defibrillator can significantly increase a person’s chance of survival,” Hitchcock said.

He said the project is about making sure lifesaving equipment is known about and accessible.

“It’s a practical example of local volunteers working together to improve community resilience and potentially save lives,” he said.

Volunteers will check AED information every 12 months and pass updated details to Hato Hone St John so the 111 database and public app remain current.

The volunteers will be identifiable by Hato Hone St John jackets and identification while carrying out the checks.

One of the AEDs recently checked by Rotary Tauranga Te Papa members Sheena Spittles and Hitchcock is a publicly accessible 24/7 unit outside the Merivale Community Centre.

The volunteers can also provide information about Hato Hone St John’s Three Steps for Life programme – a free one-hour session for community groups, schools and organisations covering CPR and AED use.

Where is your nearest AED?

Would you know where to find your nearest AED if someone suffered a cardiac arrest?

Find an AED: Search via smartphone for the Hato Hone St John AED Locations app, which can help locate a nearby registered defibrillator.

Some publicly accessible 24/7 AEDs are located around the Western Bay of Plenty, including outside Welcome Bay Community Centre, Waipuna Park Pavilion, Bethlehem Hall, Cliff Road Hall, Elizabeth Street Community & Arts Centre, Merivale Community Centre, Pāpāmoa Surf Life Saving Club, Pāpāmoa College, Gordon Spratt Reserve, as well as public locations in Ōtūmoetai, Greerton, Te Puke and Katikati.

In an emergency, call 111, start CPR and send someone to get an AED if one is nearby. The device provides voice instructions to guide the user.