- Published:
- Thursday 15 February 2018
Paramedics now have the facilities they need to respond to emergencies faster with the opening of a state-of-the-art ambulance branch in Hoppers Crossing.
Member for Ambulance Services Jill Hennessy and Member for Tarneit Telmo Languiller today officially opened the new $3 million ambulance station in Bethany Drive, Tarneit.
The facility has four ambulance bays, six bedrooms, a large training room and secure off-street car parking for staff. It can accommodate a surge ambulance and specialist units when required, such as a health commander, single responder or in-field team manager.
About 30 paramedics will rotate through ambulances attached to the branch. These hard-working paramedics now have the larger and modern facilities they deserve, and room to grow in the future.
The facility has replaced the previous base in a converted factory in Desire Place, which had housed the ambulance services since 2013.
The Andrews Labor Government is rebuilding Victoria’s ambulance system to ensure all community members get the care they need in a critical emergency.
Our $500 million plan will improve ambulance response times, employ 450 more paramedics, buy new vehicles and build more stations across the state. This investment, along with a further $26.5 million in the Victorian Budget 2017/18, is the largest funding boost ever delivered for Victoria’s ambulance services.
After 18 months of boosting and reforming the ambulance system, more and more ambulances are arriving at emergencies sooner.
Latest performance data shows 83.2 per cent of Code 1 ambulances are arriving within 15 minutes of call-out in the City of Wyndham, compared with 73.3 per cent a year prior - and miles ahead of the 70.52 per cent when the Liberals let response times languish.
This means the average time for an ambulance to reach the scene of a Code One emergency in Wyndham over the same period has improved from 13:28 minutes to 11:20 minutes.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Ambulance Services Jill Hennessy
“We’re putting people first with the biggest ever investment of ambulance services to give people the urgent care they need, sooner.”
“In a medical emergency, every second counts. Families in Melbourne’s outer west can have peace of mind that paramedics are getting to life-threatening emergencies faster than they ever have before.”
Quote attributable to Member for Tarneit Telmo Languiller
“This new state-of-the-art branch in Hoppers Crossing will support our dedicated paramedics to do what they do best, which is saving lives.”