Ambulance Victoria
Agency overview
Formed	1 July 2008
Jurisdiction	Victorian Government
Employees	2,640+
Website
www.ambulance.vic.gov.au

Since 1 July 2008 emergency ambulance services in Victoria have been provided by a single provider known as Ambulance Victoria. It was formed from the three previous providers of emergency ambulance services: the Metropolitan Ambulance Service (MAS), Rural Ambulance Victoria (RAV), and the Alexandra District Ambulance Service (ADAS).^[1]

Contents 1 History 2 Types of Paramedics 2.1 Graduate Paramedic 2.2 Qualified Paramedic/Advanced Life Support (ALS) 2.3 MICA Paramedics 2.4 MICA Flight Paramedics 3 Vehicles 4 Air Ambulance Victoria 4.1 Helicopters 4.2 Fixed-wing aircraft 5 References 6 External links

[edit] History

The very way the state's ambulance services work was proposed to be changed with Metropolitan Ambulance Service and Rural Ambulance Victoria becoming one organisation, Ambulance Victoria. On 26 May this decision was confirmed, with one service to commence operation on 1 July.

On 5 August 2009, approximately 400 paramedics made an unanimous vote of 'no confidence' against the CEO Greg Sassella and Ambulance Victoria's Board Of Directors in a meeting of the Victorian branch of Ambulance Employees Australia^[2]. This was made as the result of failed negotiations in forming an EBA with the Department of Human Services and the Victorian Government.

[edit] Types of Paramedics

[edit] Graduate Paramedic

Victorian ambulance graduate paramedics^[3] work under the supervision of a Qualified Paramedic as part of a crew of two on an emergency ambulance and are responsible for the initial attendance at medical emergencies and accidents and are required to assess, treat and stabilise patients, first at the scene and then continuously on the way to hospital.
Graduate Paramedics are able to

• analyse a patients heart via a cardiac monitor
• recognise abnormal heart rhythms
• administer oxygen
• administer basic pain relief, including penthrane
• identify and treat drug overdoses
• administer intramuscular injections to diabetics.

During the 12 month Graduate Program the skill set increases to include Advanced Life Support which allows for intravenous canulation and administering pain relief medication.

[edit] Qualified Paramedic/Advanced Life Support (ALS)

Victorian ambulance paramedics^[3] work as part of a crew of two on an emergency ambulance and are responsible for the initial attendance at medical emergencies and accidents and are required to assess, treat and stabilise patients, first at the scene and then continuously on the way to hospital.
Paramedics are qualified to

• analyse a patients heart via a cardiac monitor and recognise abnormal heart rhythms
• diagnose and treat an array of medical morbidities including cardio-respiratory syndromes such as heart attacks, angina, and asthma etc.
• administer oxygen & maintain airway patency utilising oropharangeal (OP), and laryngeal masked airway (LMA) adjuncts
• conduct intravenous cannulation and various intravenous therapies
• administer a range of pain relief, including penthrane, intranasal Fentanyl & intravenous Morphine
• identify and treat substance overdoses including psychostimulants, opiats, and sedatives
• treat diabetic hypoglycaemia through oral, intramuscular and intravenous therapies
• conduct needle thoracostomy for patients sufferring from life threatening tension pneumothorax
• treat paediatric patients through various means including nebulised, intranasal, inhalational & intramuscular pharmacological therapy

The level of practice and skill set of Qualified Paramedics is vast and forms the basis for further training to become Mobile Intensive Care Paramedics. However the ALS skill set is in its self, a stand alone qualification which now requires a minimum three year full time Bachelor Degree in Paramedicine, or Graduate Diploma conversion Degree from a health care related field including most commonly Div 1 Nursing, or even Physiotherapy.

[edit] MICA Paramedics

Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance paramedics^[4] have had more advanced training than a Qualified Paramedic. MICA paramedics operate either as part of a two person crew on a MICA response emergency ambulance or as a single responder in the CBD area.
MICA Paramedics are qualified to

• perform advanced airway management, including endotracheal intubation
• complex management of patients with head injuries, including rapid sequence intubation
• insert intra osseous (into bone) cannula for advanced drug and fluid administration in paediatric patients
• treat life threatening chest injuries including pneumothoraxes (collapsed lung) by inserting a chest tube
• advanced management of cardiac conditions

MICA paramedics sometime work one-up in a fully equipped sedan vehicle. These are called single responder units and are particularly valuable in and around the busy Melbourne CBD.

[edit] MICA Flight Paramedics

All helicopters are staffed by MICA flight paramedics while either a MICA flight paramedic or ambulance flight paramedic works on the aeroplanes which depends on the level of clinical care required. All paramedics working on aircraft undertake more advanced training than normal MICA paramedics, for their roles.

[edit] Vehicles

Currently Ambulance Victoria operates

• Mercedes 316 Sprinter (slowly being phased out)
• Mercedes 315 Sprinter (slowly being phased in)
• Ford F350 (Used in rural areas, though there are a few in the metropolitan areas)
• Ford Territory (MICA CBD Single responder)
• Holden Adventra (MICA CBD Single responder)

[edit] Air Ambulance Victoria

Air Ambulance Victoria is based at Essendon Airport with helicopters based in the major Rural centres.

[edit] Helicopters

Air Ambulance Victoria helicopters ^[5] designated HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Service) currently operate throughout the state. .
HEMS 1 (previously Air 495) is a Eurocopter Dauphin twin engine helicopter and is shared by AAV and the Victoria Police Air Wing and primarily operates within 175 km of Melbourne and is capable of carrying two stretcher patients.
HEMS 2 is a Bell 412 based in the La Trobe Valley.
HEMS 3 is a Bell 412 based in Bendigo.
HEMS 4 is a Bell 412 based in Warnambool
HEMS 5 is a Bell 412 for specialist medical retrieval based at Essendon

[edit] Fixed-wing aircraft

The Ambulance Service Air Wing operates four Beechcraft B200 King Airs from its Essendon headquarters and can reach most of Victoria within an hour. They are used mainly for transporting patients from rural towns to the major hospitals in Melbourne and can carry two stretcher patients and two walking patients. This service includes bringing people to Melbourne for regular treatments such as oncology and dialysis while also facilitating acute medical conditions requiring surgery or the transfer of injured patients from rural hospitals to specialist care. The service now reaches to more than 86 towns within Victoria while also servicing southern New South Wales, northern Tasmania and some parts of South Australia.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• www.ambulance.vic.gov.au
• www.rav.vic.gov.au/ (Temporary while the Ambulance Victoria site is being built)
• www.colacambulance.com/
• Ambulance Historical Society Victoria website/ (Ambulance Vehicles, Videos, Photographs and other Ambulance Memorabilia)

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