Beechworth brigade to gain vital life-saving skills

Beechworth CFA will be one of 50 brigades across the state to gain vital skills in assisting with early intervention to paramedic calls for cardiac arrests. The Fire Medical Response (FMR) program is a joint initiative of CFA and Ambulance Victoria which sees CFA brigades and Ambulance Victoria dispatched simultaneously to cardiac arrests. The program, which commenced operations in late 2024, currently has 33 CFA brigades responding to certain Ambulance Victoria calls in their local community, with the remaining 17 brigades to finalise training and commence operations in stages over the next seven months. The brigade along with Benalla CFA will be the only two North East brigades to accept the program which will go live in 2026. All FMR brigades have been trained extensively by both Ambulance Victoria and CFA in preparation for the program, which will complement Ambulance Victoria’s response in those local areas. Deputy Chief Officer Garry Cook said the program was a natural fit for CFA because of the 52,000 volunteers stationed have across the state. “CFA has more than 1200 volunteer stations; this puts CFA in a unique position to complement the Ambulance Victoria response in 50 locations across Victoria, and help deliver early intervention at cardiac arrests,” he said. “When a person suffers a cardiac arrest, their chance of survival reduces by 10 per cent every minute that CPR and defibrillation is delayed. “Community members who call for an ambulance in the 50 communities with an FMR brigade may receive both a fire truck and an ambulance. “There’s no specific order in which the services arrive, the aim is to get to the patient as quickly as possible to give them the best possible chance at surviving. “The response from our brigades involved in the program has been really positive, with the rate of patient resuscitation higher than the Victorian state average. “Brigades should all be very proud of their incredible service to the community.” Ambulance Victoria acting executive director regional operations, Michael Georgiou, said Victoria has Australia’s best cardiac survival rate and the third best anywhere in the world, thanks to high rates of early intervention. “The FMR program will improve survival rates for people in rural and regional Victoria,” he said. “Quick intervention with CPR and a defibrillator has the greatest impact on improving a patient’s chances of surviving a cardiac arrest.”

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