Shirley Jarden (right) thanks Steven Brown and Vanessa Bond, watched on by Riaan De Bruyn, for funding a defibrillator for the Kāpiti Community Patrol. Photo / David Haxton
Shirley Jarden (right) thanks Steven Brown and Vanessa Bond, watched on by Riaan De Bruyn, for funding a defibrillator for the Kāpiti Community Patrol. Photo / David Haxton
One day, while on one of their community patrols, Shirley Jarden and her colleague, Penny Mikkelsen came across someone who had collapsed – and there wasn’t much they could do.
Someone had collapsed at Paraparaumu Beach restaurant Soprano Ristorante, so Jarden and her co-patroller rushed down to Kāpiti Boating Club, where the nearest automated external defibrillator (AED) was located.
But when they got there, despite getting the code from Wellington Free Ambulance, they couldn’t open the door because it was stuck.
Once they got back to the restaurant, the police and ambulances were already there.
Luckily, the heart attack victim was okay, but the situation could have been a lot worse.
This sparked Jarden, whose husband had passed away due to a heart attack, to get a defibrillator for the Kāpiti Community Patrol car, but it wasn’t cheap.
“I decided that’s it, that was my aim.”
Kāpiti Community Patrol is a volunteer organization and is considered the “eyes and ears of the police”.
Jarden said defibrillators can cost anywhere between $3200 and $3500, so the team got to fundraising.
It wasn’t going so well at first – that was until sales consultants Vanessa Bond and Steven Brown from Tall Poppy got involved.
(Left to right): Steven Brown, Vanessa Bond, Riaan De Bruyn and Shirley Jarden. Photo / David Haxton
Bond and Brown met Jarden by chance one day when they were doing house quotes on Jarden’s street, and the three got to talking about the need for a defibrillator.
The cause struck a chord with the couple as Brown had a heart defect himself.
“It really touched his [Steven’s] heart,” Jarden said – no pun intended.
It was then that Bond and Brown decided they would donate a portion of money from each house they sold to the new defibrillator.
“These people have stepped up to the mark out of all the community,” Jarden said.
Patrol leader Riaan De Bruyn said alongside the new defibrillator, the community patrol will now also be helping Wellington Free Ambulance with maintaining the existing defibrillators in the area.
The maintenance involves making sure the defibrillators can come off the wall, checking the batteries, seeing whether they have been used and need more pads, and anything else that is needed.
Wellington Free Ambulance also provides free training to the community patrollers, so they’re prepared for anything.
