Ocean Grove firefighters now trained to help ambos

MORE firefighters will be saving the lives of heart attack victims on the Bellarine, thanks to the Labor Government-funded CFA Emergency Medical Response (EMR) program.

Member for Bellarine Lisa Neville attended the Ocean Grove Fire Station on Monday to mark the official launch of EMR services at Ocean Grove.

“I’m proud that the already skilled firefighters at Ocean Grove are being given the opportunity to learn and put into practice new life-saving skills that will help the community,” Ms Neville said.

“The safety of Victorians is always our highest priority, and EMR is improving survival rates of heart attack patients.

“By partnering with Ambulance Victoria, CFA firefighters are helping to reduce response times to heart attack patients and improve their chances of survival.”

With Victoria experiencing an increase in cardiac events, this program provides a significant boost to the safety of our communities.

The EMR program recently came online at Ocean Grove, dispatching firefighters at the same time as paramedics to respond to triple zero calls for cardiac arrest events and non-breathing patients.

The station has the necessary emergency medical response equipment to perform the life-saving role, with defibrillators installed in the fire trucks.

There are more than 20 EMR-qualified personnel at Ocean Grove.

CFA and Ambulance Victoria have successfully piloted the program since 2011, and an evaluation found it significantly improved response times and contributed to increased survival rates of heart attack patients.

The EMR program is also in full operation in the Metropolitan Fire Brigade, which has successfully provided the critical first responder services since 2000.

Ocean Grove CFA currently has 24 career firefighters and 39 volunteers.