By ANEEKA SIMONIS
INTENSIVE care paramedics fear they will be delayed up to 15 minutes when responding to emergency call-outs in Pakenham, Berwick and the wider Cardinia Shire region following news their base may be relocated.
A Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance (MICA) paramedic suspects the medical support unit will be relocated to Hampton Park from Narre Warren, resulting in possible emergency response delays or being “dragged” from their dedicated service area to places such as nearby Dandenong.
“Theoretically, it could increase MICA response by as much as 15 minutes,” said the paramedic, who wished to remain anonymous.
“Considering operational demand where the majority of our work is in Berwick and Pakenham, managers in the area see it as a bad decision. They are trying to fight it.”
The branch subject to potential closure is located at Victor Crescent in Narre Warren.
Ambulance Victoria’s Metropolitan East Regional director Cath Anderson confirmed the site is being assessed for closure, with the lease on the property soon to expire.
“The current site does not meet our design standards and lacks the usual amenities of a modern ambulance branch such as a garage and training rooms,” she said.
“As such, we are reviewing our options to ensure that we are in the best location to service the community as well as providing a workplace that is modern, comfortable and suitable for our paramedics in the long term.”
Ms Anderson said the Victor Crescent branch was separate to a larger nearby branch where the Berwick paramedic team were relocated to a few years ago.
Population data, current response performance and predicted future workload data will be closely considered by Ambulance Victoria before deciding whether to relocate the 24-hour MICA service.
“The area is also well serviced by 24-hour ambulance branches at Hampton Park, Berwick, Beaconsfield, Lyndhurst, Pakenham and Officer,” Ms Anderson said.
