Swamp services score

By Danielle Galvin
A SHORTAGE of emergency services in the swamp is on the way to being addressed.
Local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteer Bob Comber said he believed there had been a problem in the past with communications when there was an emergency in Lang Lang but the issue had been addressed by Ambulance Victoria.
“If there was an emergency they would be dispatched from the closest possible – including from Grantville,” he said.
But Steve McGhie, the secretary of the Ambulance Employees Association, said that the Grantville team might not know if there was an accident in the town that needed assistance despite being only 15 minutes away.
“Pakenham is dispatched by the metropolitan communication centre and Grantville is dispatched by the Ballarat communication centre,” he said.
“Grantville might not know if something was going on in Lang Lang – that information might not be passed onto them.”
Mr McGhie said that the issue was not uncommon in areas where metropolitan and rural boundaries crossed.
“It’s that thing about metropolitan and rural boundaries – the scenario between the two,” he said.
Mr McGhie said he believed that Ambulance Victoria would be working on upgrading the system, but it was a concern.
“The concern is that it could mean that you have an available ambulance that could have responded to an emergency case in Lang Lang but they can’t get there because they don’t know about it,” he said.
“So it could mean, in some cases, that the ambulances are delayed but I’m certain Ambulance Victoria would be working on the issue.”
Cath Anderson, Ambulance Victoria Regional Manager of the Metro East, said the area was serviced by teams in Pakenham and Grantville and supported by the volunteer team in Lang Lang.
“Ambulance Victoria provides emergency ambulance coverage to communities in this area with 24 hour Advanced Life Support Paramedic teams in Pakenham and Grantville,” she said.
“These teams are further supported by a volunteer Community Emergency Response Team who are based in Lang Lang.
“Whenever a call is received to triple zero, the closest appropriate ambulance resources are identified and sent.”