Southern Peninsula
Proudly published by Mornington Peninsula News Group Pty. Ltd
PHONE: 03 5974 9000 Published weekly
Circulation: 22,870
Audit period: Apr 2014 - Sept 2014
Source: AMAA; CAB Total Distribution Audit for further information visit auditedmedia.org.au
Journalists: Stephen Taylor, Brodie Cowburn 5974 9000 Photographers: Gary Sissons, Yanni Advertising Sales: Ricky Thompson 0425 867 578 or ricky@mpnews.com.au Real Estate Account Manager: Jason Richardson 0421 190 318 Production/Graphic design: Marcus Pettifer, Dannielle Espagne Group Editor: Keith Platt 0439 394 707 Publisher: Cameron McCullough REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Craig MacKenzie, Peter McCullough, Stuart McCullough, Ben Triandafillou ADDRESS: Mornington Peninsula News Group, PO Box 588 Hastings 3915 Email: team@mpnews.com.au Web: mpnews.com.au DEADLINE FOR NEXT ISSUE: 1PM ON THURSDAY 16 DECEMBER 2021 NEXT ISSUE PUBLICATION DATE: WEDNESDAY 23 DECEMBER 2021
An independent voice for the community We are the only locally owned and operated community newspaper on the Mornington Peninsula. We are dedicated to the belief that a strong community newspaper is essential to a strong community. We exist to serve residents, community groups and businesses and ask for their support in return.
NEWS DESK
Fireman to the rescue Stephen Taylor steve@mpnews.com.au WHEN off-duty firefighter Steve Axup saw a car in a ditch and a woman waving frantically for help in Rosebud last week he immediately did a U-turn and pulled over to help. On the side of Boneo Road, a 50-year-old Cape Schanck woman was unconscious and in cardiac arrest. It was at that moment – 10.30am, Wednesday 8 December – that FRV Officer Axup’s prompt action probably saved her life. Quickly dragging the woman from her car while someone called 000, and after asking a bystander to rush to a nearby Bunnings to get a defibrillator, the fireman began performing CPR which pumped blood to her brain, while pounding on her chest to draw air into her lungs. These actions “basically sustained her life”, he said, until Rosebud fire station crews arrived within four minutes to take over the next stage of the woman’s recovery. They used a defibrillator to administer an electric shock to kick-start her heart so that it began a regular rhythm, re-established a pulse, and she began to come around. Ambulance Victoria paramedics arrived soon after and applied more electric shocks before transporting the woman to Frankston Hospital. The police managed traffic on the busy road. “It was an instinctive emergency medical response which we are trained
QUICK thinking and a knowledge of first aid enabled fireman Steve Axup to save a Cape Schanck woman. to provide,” Officer Axup said later, adding that immediate CPR and the shock from the “defib” were crucial in saving a life. He praised the assistance of members of the public who used a tarpaulin to shelter firemen and their
patient from rain while they used the defibrillator and the person who rushed to Bunnings. The FRV firefighter, who has a holiday house at Blairgowrie, says he could not have come along at a better time: “It was the first time I have had to perform CPR while off-duty and the first time I’ve been able to administer CPR and then help use a defibrillator to save a life,” he said. It turns out that Officer Axup and his “patient”, who has three children and now a pacemaker, have friends in common. “We spoke for an hour on the phone last night and it was quite an emotional conversation,” he said. “I also spoke to her twin sister as well as her mum for another hour. We hope to catch up in the New Year.” Rye Fire Brigade Captain Eddie Matt forwarded an earlier message the woman had put up on her Facebook page: “Yesterday an off-duty firefighter saved my life,” it read. “I was in cardio arrest and he saved me on Boneo Road. “Does anyone know him? I want to thank him for saving my life. Still in hospital and will be for a while. “I am alive because of this wonderful man.” Officer Axup was only too happy to be in the right place at the right time. He is well aware that tragedy was averted by the most favourable of circumstances: a trained firefighter quickly on the scene and a defibrillator in expert hands only minutes away. “It was not her time to go,” he said.
Grassfires move so quickly, it’s impossible to outrun them. This summer, significant pasture growth in paddocks and roadsides means that fast-moving grassfires will be a serious risk across Victoria. Rural grassfires can be just as dangerous as bushfires, and can actually spread even faster, travelling at speeds of up to 25km/h. If you live close to open paddocks or grasslands, you could be at risk and need to be prepared. On high-risk Fire Danger Rated days, the safest option is to leave early.
Plan. Act. Survive. Go to vic.gov.au/knowfire
Authorised by the Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne
PAGE 8
Southern Peninsula News
15 December 2021