Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) were recently installed in the stores as part of a priority roll out program.

The company said this is to ensure rural and regional communities or areas where it may be hard to access a medical site, get first access to the roll out.

Woolworths Taree and Manning Valley group manager Craig Feuz said having the equipment in store could prove vital in the case of an emergency.

"We are pleased to have a defibrillator installed in our stores which everyone can have access to," he said.

"You never know when a sudden cardiac arrest might strike and in the unfortunate event it does, having the local community able to access this treatment could help to save lives.

"The best medical advice tells us that access to an AED early on can greatly increase the chance of survival."

Professor Jamie Vandenberg, from the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, said sudden cardiac arrests were usually fatal if action wasn't taken immediately.

"This Woolworths initiative is critical for local communities in the case of an emergency - you never know when you could be someone's only hope of making it home to their family," he said.

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