Manor Lakes has its own paramedic team, and a new ambulance.
A team of 14 new full-time paramedics and their vehicle have been fast-tracked to Wyndham, more than 18 months before their new station is due to open.
The new 24-hour team, which started last week, will be based at Werribee ambulance station until construction at the new Manor Lakes base wraps up.
Ambulance Victoria chief executive Tony Walker said the organisation is still scoping a suitable location for the new 24-hour station, with a site to be selected in the next month. The Manor Lakes station is due to be operational by late next year.
In the interim, Mr Walker said Ambulance Victoria is delighted by the arrival of new paramedics.
“It’s wonderful to see these resources [rolled out] as quick as they have been, which means we’re out there from this week supporting this community and other communities out there in the state,” he said.
The rollout is part of a $500 million plan to improve ambulance response times, and includes the recruitment of 450 new paramedics over three years, commissioning more ambulances and 15 new and upgraded stations across Victoria.
As part of the plan, Brimbank and Footscray will be home to two of six new ambulance super response centres, which will deal with major emergencies as well as day-to-day medical challenges.
Ambulance Services Minister Jill Hennessy said the boost means paramedics will be able to respond even faster to medical emergencies.
“In an emergency, every second counts. That’s why we’ve fast-tracked these new resources to get more paramedics and ambulances on the road, and save more lives,” Ms Hennessy said.
“We know that, out here in the west, we’ve got really big, growing communities – it’s important we continue to make the sorts of investments, to make sure that we’re able to service those communities and deal with the growing demand.”
Wyndham currently has ambulance stations at Werribee, Hoppers Crossing, Tarneit and Point Cook.
Werribee MP Tim Pallas said the extra resources will make a huge difference in the Manor Lakes and Wyndham Vale areas.
