FREQUENT journeys to other parts of Melbourne are leaving Wyndham residents to face a lengthy and sometimes painful wait for an ambulance, paramedics say.
Tarneit paramedic Robert Lasslett said in recent weeks he had been sent to Geelong, Bacchus March, Melton, Lara, Yarraville and Newport on code 1 emergency jobs.
He said paramedics leaving the area often struggled to make a timely return and were regularly sent to jobs even further away after taking their initial patients to hospital.
“When we are asked to travel further afield it takes us longer to get back to base, which puts pressure on the other Wyndham crews or crews in surrounding areas.
“Not only does it add to the pressure on us but it means the public is waiting longer for help. You can wait up to 20 minutes in an emergency in Wyndham.”
Alan Colley, who lives in Werribee but works from Ambulance Victoria’s Moonee Ponds branch, said he was concerned at how frequently Wyndham was without a local ambulance crew.
He said that within about five minutes last Tuesday night, he heard over the radio crews from Point Cook, Laverton, Hoppers Crossing and Altona being sent to Malvern, Sandringham, Deer Park and Airport West.
“It meant this area was stripped of cars in an emergency,” he said.
“It’s not often as complex as that, but being called on to travel to other areas is an everyday occurrence for us.”
Mr Colley said while resources had increased, there were not enough paramedics to cover the load.
Jessie Lyon, who is based at Tarneit, said thousands of paramedics were thinking about leaving their jobs because their careers were not advancing and they could get better pay interstate.
“Morale is low. We are losing people, experience and knowledge.
“[Robert and I] are almost considered senior paramedics and we have only been in the job three and four years.”
Ms Lyon said paramedics wanted Ambulance Victoria and the state government to provide professional pay rates that matched other states. She also wants more resources for Wyndham.
The union is seeking a 30 per cent pay increase over three years.
Ambulance Victoria group manager Tony Elliott said the organisation was increasing the number of paramedics and services across Victoria. Hoppers Crossing was recently upgraded to a 24-hour station, while Tarneit became a 12-hour station last month.
