SOME 14 Euroa Fire Brigade members are the first in Victoria training to respond to cardiac arrest incidents through the CFA’s Fire Medical Response (FMR) program.
The program was developed with Ambulance Victoria, who trained the group at Euroa Fire Station in a weekend intensive earlier this month, while others in town enjoyed the Euroa Show & Shine.
The group will operate in Euroa from November 27 after one more day of CFA-led training on Saturday.
Announcing the program in July 2022, the CFA said patient outcomes can be improved in areas where a CFA brigade may be able to reach a patient sooner than an ambulance.
Triple zero calls in Euroa will see FMR brigade members dispatched to cardiac arrest incidents simultaneously with ambulances.
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If paramedics arrive after the CFA, they will take over the patient response with continuing assistance from brigade members if needed.
“In some cases, the arrival of a CFA truck may only be two or three minutes earlier, maybe one minute, but that minute counts,” Ambulance Victoria’s FMR coordinator Max Leonard said.
“For every minute that goes by, your chance of survival [in cardiac arrest] decreases by 10 percent.
“We need to start CPR as soon as possible.
“If that's bystander CPR by members of the public, that is perfect; that is what we want.”
A 2023 Ambulance Victoria report found the Strathbogie Shire has one of the state’s lowest rates of bystander CPR relative to incidents of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
The report identified the Strathbogie Shire as a “CPR priority area”.
The report also revealed rural Victoria has a rate of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest incidents over 50 percent higher than Melbourne.
“CFA have a very wide reach – they've got brigades in almost every town of Victoria, and they've also got dedicated people willing to respond to an emergency when it happens,” Mr Leonard said.
“We hope that programs like this where we can utilise people who are willing and able to co-respond with us, can hopefully get there as soon as possible and provide that life-saving intervention.”
Euroa Fire Brigade captain Damon Rieusset said at least two firefighters will attend each job.
He estimated the program will add eight more calls per year to the brigade’s caseload.
Members will turn out in fire trucks, which will carry equipment including defibrillators, oxygen and first aid kits.
“It’s a program that will be good for the community,” Mr Rieusset said.
CFA’s Fire Medical Response program manager, Fiona Macken, said 23 brigades had signed up so far, but Euroa and eight others will be the first to operate.
Other CFA brigades to have signed up include Numurkah, Tatura, Yarrawonga, Kyabram, Huntly, Kyneton, Orbost, Lakes Entrance, Bairnsdale, Horsham, Kerang, Bacchus Marsh, Castlemaine, Stawell, Ararat, Colac, Echuca, Hamilton, Port Fairy, Somerville, Creswick and Bunyip.
Ms Macken said the CFA is working its way up to 50 FMR brigades.
Ambulance Victoria has co-response programs for cardiac arrest with Fire Rescue Victoria and over 100 volunteer teams throughout the state.
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“BLOODY LUCKY”: BOB THE VET ON LIFE-SAVING CPR 13 YEARS LATER
EUROA’S Bohdan Worotmiuk, better known as “Bob the vet”, owes his life to friends who administered CPR on his dead body for almost an hour before paramedics arrived.
Having lived another 13 years so far since that day, the 79-year-old former vet practice owner last week told this masthead: “I’m bloody lucky.”
“I don't think about it now,” Mr Worotmiuk said.
David Mawson, Geraldine Mawson and Russell Mawson had saved his life after he “dropped dead” in a Balmattum shearing shed in 2011.
David last week said he and his sister-in-law, Geraldine, spent 47 minutes administering CPR on Mr Worotmiuk.
“You can hear the ribs break and everything,” he remembered.
“If you don't, you're not doing it hard enough.
“You shouldn't give up, you should let the ambulance make the call.”
Paramedics defribulated the dead vet five times when they arrived, The Age reported in 2012.
David last week encouraged others to learn CPR.
“If one of your loved ones or your best friend drops dead beside you, it's so important to know how to do it,” he said.
“There'd be nothing worse than just watching them die and not knowing what to do.”
David’s brother, Russell, recalled he had given Mr Worotmiuk “the kiss of life” (mouth-to-mouth resuscitation), called triple zero, and assisted with CPR before leaving the shed to meet the ambulance, which arrived from Benalla.
David, Geraldine and Russell were given an Ambulance Victoria Community Hero Award in 2012 for their efforts.
