Rupanyup ambulance station expected to improve response times

Ambulance Victoria Wimmera group manager Nick Thresher said the station, which opens today, would improve response times from paramedics in Rupanyup and surrounding towns.

"What we can realistically expect is a more timely response to that catchment area," he said.

"The Dunmunkle catchment, which covers Minyip, Murtoa and Rupanyup, has in recent years been serviced by a community emergency response team, which is a volunteer team.

"Because we are transitioning to having a paramedic there, it means we are going to get a paramedic there quicker in most cases."

Response times have been a controversial topic for the State Government, with the Mail-Times revealing last month times in the Wimmera were twice as long as the state benchmark.

Mr Thresher said Ambulance Victoria had projected the Rupanyup station would respond to between 220 and 240 call-outs a year.

The Rupanyup station will be an on-call branch, meaning it will be staffed between 8am and 6pm.

"There will be an on-duty paramedic who will be supported by an ambulance community officer and then, after 6pm until 8am the next morning, both the paramedic and the ambulance community officer will work on call," Mr Thresher said.

The new station will see a paramedic redeployed from the Wimmera, but Mr Thresher said it was his intention to recruit new personnel.

"There's one paramedic who will be redeployed from the Wimmera district, however, our intention is to recruit new personnel and, starting in late November, we do have one from Gippsland who is coming to join us," he said.

He said members of the existing community emergency response team had been up-skilled to be ambulance community officers.

"Thanks to the Dunmunkle CERT members for their dedication to the community and Ambulance Victoria in recent years," he said.

"This is an exciting initiative for the community and Ambulance Victoria and we are looking forward to the opportunity to establish ourselves in the Rupanyup area."