Image: Trauma Victoria.
The Victorian government has announced that it will invest $20 million to rebuild six ambulance stations as part of a wider investment to modernise and upgrade ambulance facilities across the state.
Under the investment, the government has worked with Ambulance Victoria to identify branches with ageing facilities that need an overhaul because of the critical need for them to be safe and fit-for-purpose.
The program also takes into account that Victorian ambulances and their stations need to be more comfortable and modern for paramedics who work long and “often unsociable hours”.
Some of these stations like Kew Ambulance Station date back to 1931, making them ill-equipped to be used as an ambulance branch because it has no secure garage, and ambulance vehicles are stored under an unsecured lean-to roof.
According to the Victorian government, the site also lacks training and work space for paramedics.
One of Victoria’s busiest branches, Dandenong Ambulance Station, has facilities that the government said are inadequate for modern ambulance service, as it has no rest facilities for paramedics, and “the building is in extremely poor condition”.
Another oldie is Preston Ambulance Station, which was constructed in the 1950s, and consequently has a number of occupational health and safety issues that pose a risk to paramedics.
Size is an important factor in operating a station, with Sale Ambulance Station being too small to accommodate the service, and lacks training space and rest facilities, as does Orbost Ambulance Station.
Finally, Echuca Ambulance Station lacks basic functionality because the building has a single entry and exit point, meaning ambulances must reverse in or out of the station, which poses a safety risk for paramedics and slows ambulance responses.
The government will replace these stations with state-of-the-art branches that offer spacious and functional garages for vehicles, and modern facilities for paramedics, including lounge areas, a kitchen, training rooms and amenities.
The funding is part of the government’s $99 million investment in ambulance services in the 2015-16 Victorian Budget to deliver more ambulance services, upgrade ambulance branches and provide new replacement vehicles and equipment, as well as boosted support services for paramedics.
