The trust has set up a contestable funding pool of $150,000 so more defibrillators can be installed in heavy foot-traffic areas throughout the organisation's region.
It will support applications from non-profit groups for up to half the cost of a defibrillator and accessories, bought through St John. The cost of the equipment, depending on the model, ranged from $4000-$6000 and groups will be responsible for raising the balance of the funding.
''We wanted to be proactive for the benefit of our community,'' trustee Greg Wilkinson said yesterday.
Trust chairman Sir Eion Edgar said the decision to assist with funding of the units was an easy one. The automated external defibrillators were a piece of life-saving equipment used when someone experienced sudden cardiac arrest.
The equipment delivered a short, powerful shock to the heart. It was designed to be simple for anyone to use and the device talked users through what to do and how to use it. The trust will also provide funding for groups to receive St John training sessions on using the equipment.
Cromwell St John station manager Peter Drinnan said the defibrillators were ''a great back-up to our service.''
''This is good, forward-thinking by the trust. The defibrillators are very safe and they've been proven to save lives. People shouldn't be nervous about using them in an emergency. They are designed to discern the patient's condition so you can only shock someone who is in cardiac arrest.
''In those cases, time is critical, so the more of these units there are, and the more people trained in CPR, the better,'' Mr Drinnan said. St John southern business development manager Seema Bhavan said having a defibrillator available could increase the chance of a person's survival by up to 40%.
St John was pleased to join with the trust in this initiative, she said. There were about 60 defibrillators within the trust's district, listed on one website. The location of new ones would be added into the website.
The units were ideal for offices, sporting clubs, shopping centres, schools and other public buildings. The closing date for applications was October 31. Trust chief executive Paul Allison said one of the key points to be considered was where the equipment would be located, its accessibility and its benefit to the community.
