Shocktober 2026: Every Minute Counts

October is Shocktober at St John Ambulance Victoria, a month dedicated to helping more Victorians learn the simple skills that can save a life during a cardiac emergency.

Every day, around 20 Victorians experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, often without warning and most often at home. When cardiac arrest strikes, immediate CPR and access to a defibrillator can dramatically improve a person's chance of survival. That's why throughout October, we're bringing CPR education, community engagement, advocacy and defibrillator awareness to communities across Victoria.

Whether you're learning CPR for the first time, refreshing your skills, supporting a local community group or helping spread awareness, there are plenty of ways to get involved this Shocktober.

Bringing CPR to Communities Across Victoria with CPR Lab

One of the centrepieces of this year's campaign is the St John CPR Lab, our mobile education experience that teaches life-saving CPR and defibrillator skills in just 10 minutes.

Throughout October, CPR Lab is travelling across metropolitan and regional Victoria, giving thousands of people the opportunity to gain confidence in responding to a cardiac emergency. Visitors can take part in free, hands-on demonstrations and learn the basics of compression-only CPR and AED use in an engaging and interactive environment.

Whether you are attending a community event, field day, festival or major activation, chances are CPR Lab will be nearby and ready to help you learn skills that could one day save a family member, friend, colleague or stranger.

Pop in to a Free CPR Lab near you:

Elmore Field Days: Tuesday 6th October - Thursday 8th October 2026 9:00am - 5:00pm. 48 Rosaia Road, Elmore 

4WG Annual Parade: Sunday 11 October 2026 10am - 4pm. RAAF Base Point Cook, Point Cook Road, Point Cook

St John Restart A Heart Day Challenge: 4-hour Continuous CPR Live Stream: Friday 16th October 2026 10:00am - 2:00pm. The Atrium at Fed Square, 2 Birrarung Marr Walk, Melbourne 

Watergardens Community Day: Saturday 17th October 2026 10:00am - 3:00pm. Watergardens Shopping Centre, 399 Melton Highway, Taylors Lakes 

Westfield Knox: Saturday 17 October 2026 10:00am - 3:00pm. Westfield Knox, Brown Carpark 

Whitehorse Spring Festival: Sunday 18 October 2026 10am - 4pm. Whitehorse Civic Centre Precinct, 339 Whitehorse Road, Nunawading 

Caroline Springs Fire Brigade: Sunday 25th October 2026 10:00am - 2:00pm. Hillside Fire Station, 4 Gourlay Road, Hillside

Restart a Heart Day: Victoria's Non-Stop CPR Challenge

A major highlight of Shocktober is Restart a Heart Day on 16 October.

This year, St John Ambulance Victoria is bringing the community together at Fed Square for its first ever Continuous CPR Challenge, a four-hour livestreamed relay demonstrating the critical role bystanders play in a cardiac emergency.

Volunteers, staff, partners, VIPs and members of the public will keep CPR going continuously for four hours while the event is streamed live across Victoria. The challenge aims to inspire more people to learn CPR and build confidence to take action when every minute counts. 

The event follows research showing that many Victorians still lack confidence to respond in a cardiac emergency, despite understanding that CPR and defibrillators save lives.

To take part doing CPR in the livestream, register here: https://www.trybooking.com/DQKXX

Win a Defibrillator for Your Community

This Shocktober, we're also giving communities the chance to access life-saving equipment through our Shocktober Competition.

We're giving away a St John Pocket AED, valued at $1,995, to help place life-saving equipment where it could make a real difference. Community groups, sporting clubs, schools, workplaces and local champions are encouraged to enter by sharing what Shocktober means to them and how a defibrillator could benefit their community.

Whether it's a personal story, creative entry or community project, every entry helps start a conversation about cardiac arrest awareness and preparedness.

Enter here: https://www.stjohnvic.com.au/shocktober-1/

Making Life-Saving Education More Accessible

At St John, we believe life-saving knowledge should be accessible to everyone.

This year, with support from AVID Property Group, we've expanded our free CPR awareness resources by offering multilingual education materials in both English and Chinese, helping more people understand how to recognise a cardiac emergency, call for help, start CPR and use a defibrillator. 

We're also sharing free online tools and resources throughout the month, including first aid advice, defibrillator myth-busting content and practical guidance designed to build confidence and encourage action.

Check out the videos here: https://www.stjohnvic.com.au/multilingual-cpr-information/

Supporting Greater Access to Defibrillators

Shocktober is not just about education. It is also about increasing access to defibrillators across Victoria.

Through programs such as Defib in Your Street, St John is helping place publicly accessible AEDs in communities at higher risk of cardiac arrest while providing free CPR education to local residents. The program focuses on empowering communities to recognise cardiac arrest, call Triple Zero (000), commence CPR and use an AED before paramedics arrive. 

Throughout the month, St John is also continuing advocacy efforts to improve community access to defibrillators and encourage more workplaces, organisations and community groups to invest in life-saving equipment.

For a limited time, save $450 off the St John G5 defibrillator: https://www.stjohnvic.com.au/products/defibrillators-aed/st-john-g5/

How You Can Get Involved

This Shocktober, there are many ways to help create a safer Victoria:

• Visit a CPR Lab event and learn CPR in just 10 minutes.

• Join us for Restart a Heart Day and take part in the Continuous CPR Challenge.

• Enter the Shocktober competition and help place an AED in your community.

• Share our multilingual CPR resources with family, friends and neighbours.

• Learn where your nearest defibrillator is located.

• Refresh your CPR skills and encourage others to do the same.

• Consider installing an AED in your workplace, sporting club or community facility.

Together, We Can Save More Lives

You do not need medical qualifications to save a life. In many cardiac emergencies, the person who makes the difference is simply the person who is nearby and willing to act.

This Shocktober, we're asking all Victorians to take a few minutes to learn CPR, become familiar with defibrillators and help spread the word. Because when someone suffers a cardiac arrest, every minute counts, and together, we can help save more lives.