Have you noticed distinctive red cabinets popping up in and around Canberra?

They contain life-saving defibrillators that are available for use 24/7 in the event someone in the vicinity suffers a sudden cardiac arrest.

The cabinets are not locked and they are outside in key locations - so they can be used at any time.

And the hope is to get a publicly available automated external defibrillator (AED) in every suburb in Canberra.

They can mean the difference between life and death.

Sudden cardiac arrest occurs because of an electrical problem in the heart. Defibrillation is needed to restore the heart's normal rhythm and is crucial in the first minutes.

And time is always of the essence.

The chance of survival from cardiac arrest drops dramatically after five minutes.

With more tha

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