Nagambie is one promising step closer to having an ambulance service, with the Victorian Government last week announcing it would trial a paramedic crew of two officers, three days a week as part of a statewide review of rural ambulance services. Ambulance Victoria will pilot the placement of a two-officer Advanced Life Support paramedic unit in Nagambie for three days a week (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) from Friday, November 27 until Sunday, February 6, 2016 from 10 am to 10 pm each day. It will also operate for six days during the 2016 Easter period. The provision of a seasonal paramedic crew will ensure the majority of cases during this period are covered locally. It will allow Nagambie Community Emergency Response Team to rest on these days, and reduce the demand on Seymour and Murchison ambulance branches during this busy time. In February 2016, Ambulance Victoria will evaluate the pilot program and consider its effectiveness as part of the development of its rural service review. Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes said it will mean paramedics can better and more quickly respond to critical medical emergencies in the community. 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. However Nagambie Ambulance Service Community Alliance spokesperson John Beresford said Alliance members were guardedly cautious. We take this with a grain of salt because we were advised in June by Minister (for Health and Ambulance Services) Jill Hennessy that our concerns would be considered by the Ambulance Performance and Policy Consultative Committee to be released at the end of the year. Mondays accident at Locksley where a semi-trailer hit a bus carrying kids from Nagambie to Euroa highlights the shortfall of not having an ambulance. Fortyfive kids and the bus driver had to be treated. Nagambie catchment covers that entire catchment. The pilot program of having two advanced life support paramedics is definitely a step in the right direction. They have a paramedic vehicle but they cant transport sick or injured people. This wont cover the holiday period which goes for seven days a week so theres still a lot of pressure on the dwindling number of CERT volunteers. Continued on Page 4 CERT still under pressure Continued from Page 1. We remain concerned that the remaining CERT volunteers are still expected to carry the lions share during the peak tourist season and with dwindling volunteer numbers this is no longer sustainable, Mr Beresford said. Member for Euroa and Deputy Leader of The Nationals Steph Ryan said the announcement raised more questions than 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. 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, Ms Ryan said. The government also announced that the nearby Murchison Ambulance Station will be rebuilt as part of a $20 million investment to modernise and upgrade ambulance facilities across Victoria. Murchison Ambulance Station was constructed in the 1960s. Parliamentary Secretary for Health Mary-Anne Thomas said it was crucial Victorias ambulance branches were safe and fit-for-purpose, as well as comfortable and modern for paramedics who work long and often unsociable hours. It lacks reverse-in access for ambulance vehicles and has a manual garage door. The station is very small, lacks purpose-built facilities, and has a range of occupational health and safety hazards, Ms Thomas said. Work will begin in coming months to rebuild Murchison Ambulance Station.