Metropolitan Fire Brigade members have been part of the medical response program since 2001, responding to a small number of ‘priority zero’ cases and arriving before paramedics about 50 per cent of the time.
CFA started a pilot program with volunteers in 2008 and career firefighters in 2011, and its success and additional funding has seen it roll out across the state.
Horsham Urban Fire Brigade volunteers who have nominated for the program will begin training in March next year.
Brigade captain Marc Ampt said the program was met with a great response from members.
“We had 29 people register to train when the program was presented to us – the largest volunteer brigade response for the program at the time,” he said.
The first responders will train across several weeks with Ambulance Victoria, ensuring they are prepared for a different level of community service.
“Community members who call for an ambulance may receive both a fire vehicle and an ambulance – there is no specific order in which they may arrive,” Mr Ampt said.
“If our crews arrive first and start providing care, that could make all the difference for someone’s survival chances.
“We know this program will improve survival rates for people across the Horsham area.”
CFA has more than 1100 volunteer fire stations and more than 52,000 members, bolstering Ambulance Victoria’s life-saving efforts to communities across the state.
Ambulance Victoria acting director operational capability Trevor Weston said it was ‘fantastic’ to have extra assistance for people experiencing cardiac arrests.
“We’re extremely grateful that CFA is working with us on this – from the reports I’m getting there’s no shortage of volunteers wanting to put their hand up and be part of this program,” he said.
“We’ve seen our cardiac-arrest survival rates in recent years continue to improve to some of the best in the world.
“The impact Fire Rescue Victoria and CFA has with this program, particularly in metropolitan Melbourne, contributes significantly to that. Having another 50 CFA brigades at the end of this program across the state is only going to be exceptional.”
Mr Weston said Ambulance Victoria responded to about 21 cardiac arrest calls each day.
“The selected brigades are in the areas where we know there’s opportunity for improving cardiac arrest survival, where there’s opportunity for CFA to play a part to support ambulance,” he said.
“We know that with each minute CPR and defibrillation is delayed, your chance of survival drops by about 10 per cent.
“We already have public access defibrillators, GoodSAM responders, ambulance community officers, and we now have FMR in these sorts of more regional areas that will start to make a difference in the outcomes that we see.”
Mr Weston said if a fire medical response crew arrived at a scene first, paramedics would work alongside them.
“We’ll let them continue rotating through CPR, which will allow our paramedics to start to deliver advanced care, such as advanced airway management, medications and things like that, which will help the patient’s survival,” he said.
Firefighters’ wellbeing is also a focus of the program, which has been developed by CFA and Ambulance Victoria experts, including clinical psychologists.
“Given that crews will be responding to people in their communities, the chances of responding to someone they know is increased,” Mr Weston said.
“The training includes a focus of psychosocial wellbeing and psychological safety to care for our responders too.”
Mr Weston said the original medical response program has saved the lives of hundreds of people across more than 20 years.
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