Port Fairy Fire Brigade is now one of eleven CFA brigades that are trained and ready to respond to nearby medical Triple Zero calls as part of a new program.
The Fire Medical Response program, that officially commended on 4 December 2024, is a joint initiative of CFA and Ambulance Victoria that will see CFA brigade members and paramedics dispatched simultaneously to cardiac arrests.
Port Fairy is the first brigade in South West Victoria to come online as active responders for cardiac arrests, jumping on the truck to assist the local community for Fire Medical Response alongside their fire duties.
Port Fairy Fire Brigade Captain Hugh Worrall said the decision to join the program was an easy one to make given the benefits it will provide the Port Fairy community.
“What this program means is that community members who call for an ambulance may receive both a fire vehicle and an ambulance. There is no specific order in which the services arrive to the incident,” Hugh said.
The brigade has been training with Ambulance Victoria for months, in preparation for the program which will complement the medical service in the local area.
CFA Deputy Chief Officer Garry Cook said the program was a natural fit for CFA.
“CFA has more than 1,100 volunteer fire stations with more than 52,000 members,” Garry said.
“This puts CFA in a unique position to assist the Ambulance Victoria response in 50 locations across Victoria to help deliver early intervention to cardiac arrests."
Ambulance Victoria Executive Director of Regional Operations, Danielle North, said Victoria’s cardiac survival rates are one of the best in the world, thanks to high rates of early intervention.
“The Fire Medical Response program will improve survival rates for people in rural and regional Victoria,” Danielle said.
“Quick intervention with CPR and a defibrillator has the greatest impact on improving a patient’s chances of surviving a cardiac arrest.”
Port Fairy Fire Brigade commenced as a Fire Medical Response brigade from Thursday, 20 March 2025.