THE State Government recently announced the short-term provision of an Ambulance Victoria pilot program for Nagambie and its review of rural ambulance services during this time. The announcement comes after a long term push by the Nagambie Ambulance Service Community Alliance (NASCA) who formed to work towards gaining a reliable ambulance service for the town. The pilot program will be implemented on November 27 where a two officer Advanced Life Support paramedic unit will be located in Nagambie for three days per week, Friday to Sunday. The service will run until February 6 next year with officers on duty between 10am and 10pm each day and will return for six days over the Easter period next year. NASCA said that it cautiously welcomes the announcement by the Parliamentary Secretary of Health, Mary-Anne Thomas, who said that the service will allow the current Nagambie Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), made up of volunteers, to rest on these days. In response to the announcement, long-serving Nagambie and District CERT volunteer Craig Stewart said that the trial program is a step in the right direction but still held concerns. I am concerned that there now remains a skeleton crew of CERT volunteers who are still expected to be on call for the lions share of the peak holiday period, not to mention the other 10 months of the year, he said. At a recent public forum held in Nagambie with Mary-Anne Thomas, CERT volunteers and community members went to great lengths to explain that volunteer numbers are at an all-time low with only a handful of active responders now available for call outs despite several recruitment campaigns. The regional population growth and increase in tourism demands a permanent solution that will meet the needs of both local residents and seasonal visitors for 365 days a year, Mr Stewart said. NASCA spokesperson John Beresford said that the group remains guarded due to the lack of detail surrounding the announcement, including where the service will be situated. Whilst the Andrews Government has acknowledged that the Nagambie catchment has an escalating problem, we remain somewhat guarded due to the lack of detail surrounding the recent announcement, he said. There are still questions around operational funding towards the pilot program and location of a part-time paramedic unit in Nagambie that are yet to be answered. NASCA believes that our loyal and dedicated CERT volunteers have earned the right to be kept fully informed as they have delivered an outstanding community service over the past 11 years. Local MP and deputy leader of the Nationals Steph Ryan (MLA, Euroa) agreed with NASCA and said that the announcement raises more questions than it answers. The government is obviously responding to our efforts to draw attention to Nagambies need for paramedics to be permanently stationed in town but this seems like a token effort by Labor to placate the community, she said. Placing a paramedic in Nagambie during daytime hours for a few months over the summer and during Easter falls terribly short of what the community needs. However, Jaclyn Symes (MLC, Northern Victoria) said the provision of the service will be welcomed by locals. I know the provision of extra resources in Nagambie will be welcomed by locals this summer, while Ambulance Victoria looks at the long term service needs of rural communities across the state, she said.