Shocktober is our month-long campaign which takes place during October every year. It aims to highlight the importance of learning cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED).
Shockober community events
We’ll be out and about across Victoria this October, come and find us at:
31 October 2026
- Hamilton Emergency Services Event 10am–3pm – Hamilton Showgrounds, Shakespeare Street, Hamilton
- Mirboo North Market 8:30am–1pm – Baromi Park, 49 Ridgway, Mirboo North
- Taggerty Shine & Show 8am–1pm – 19 Taggerty-Thornton Road, Taggerty
This Shocktober
Learn Call Push Shock
Learn how to perform CPR and use an AED
Sign-up to GoodSAM
GoodSAM is a free app that helps save lives.
Attend a community event
We’ll be out and about across Victoria this October.
Learn about AEDs
Find an AED
Search the AED registry and view AED locations on a map.
Register my AED
Register your AED to help connect AEDs with people who need them.
Why is it important?
Every day around 21 Victorians suffer a cardiac arrest, with only one in 10 surviving. That’s why immediate action is critical.
A cardiac arrest occurs when the heart suddenly stops pumping blood effectively around the body.
For every minute that CPR is delayed, survival decreases by 10 per cent. But when a patient receives CPR and a shock from an AED before paramedics arrive, their chance of survival more than doubles.
Community resources
Translated resources
Call Push Shock resources are available in multiple languages to help everyone understand important health information.
Stakeholder resources
Download Shocktober images, graphics and videos to share on social media channels.
Shocktober stories
Adam took three simple steps to save a life – then they saved his
Ten years ago, Adam Heitmann helped save the life of a man in cardiac arrest. In August this year, bystanders stepped in and saved his.
Bystanders go the distance to save pro runner
A Porepunkah professional runner lived to see the birth of his first child thanks to bystanders who intervened when he suffered a cardiac arrest last year.
Local GoodSAM responder helps save a life in St Leonards
When St Leonards man Steven Bowen’s heart stopped in cardiac arrest this year, help was just 200 metres away thanks to the GoodSAM app.
Geelong man’s extraordinary recovery after heart stops twice at local pool
Only one in 10 cardiac arrest patients survive to tell the tale, but for one lucky Geelong man, quick and effective bystander intervention has helped save his life twice.
Thousands more Victorians equipped with the skills to restart a heart
More Victorians are ready to help save the life of someone in cardiac arrest, with another 12 towns across the state graduating as Heart Safe Communities.
Ordinary people, extraordinary actions – bystanders save young Melbourne woman’s life
At just 35-years-old, Tekitah Falkenberg almost lost her life when she went into cardiac arrest at work. Thanks to the quick actions of bystanders, she is alive to tell the tale this Shocktober.
Give every heart a chance this Shocktober
This Shocktober, Ambulance Victoria is calling on you to give every heart a chance and learn the three simple steps that could save your loved one – Call, Push, Shock.
Shocktober 2026 community events
We’ll be out and about across Victoria this October, connecting with locals and teaching our community all about AEDs and CPR. Come and find us at these upcoming community events.
Shocktober campaign receives international recognition
Ambulance Victoria’s Shocktober campaign won Gold in the Expanded Campaign category at the 2026 International Safety Media Awards and received a Special Merit Award for its evaluation framework.
Updated