The firefighters union wants more suburban staff trained in emergency medical response (EMR) skills and is worried that the government and CFA will not back a suburban rollout of the program because of budget cuts.
Metropolitan Fire Brigade firefighters are trained in emergency first aid, including oxygen resuscitation, CPR and defibrillation, and often respond to incidents before ambulances arrive.
There is currently a trial of EMR for CFA staff in several suburban CFA stations. The trial, the government and CFA say, will continue until next year.
United Firefighters Union secretary Peter Marshall said the trial should have reported back by now and the program – which had been successful in the MFB – should be expanded to other areas.
He accused the CFA of dragging its heels about an expansion of the program because of budget pressures. ”Our members want this training. The program has been an overwhelming success and this could help save lives in Melbourne’s growth corridors,” Mr Marshall said.
He said giving firefighters the emergency training would also ease the pressure on paramedics in growth suburbs.
The union and the government are locked in tense wage negotiations, much of which is being played out in the public arena.
This latest issue comes after a CFA firefighter was told he could not participate in training because he was on a short stint at the branch. The firefighter had recently been part of a crew that had an EMR-trained staff member who helped a man during a heart attack before an ambulance arrived.
An email seen by Fairfax Media from CFA regional management about the case says in part: ”We are still very much in the pilot phase to this project and there are no assurances that the EMR program will continue beyond 2013-14.”
The email also says submissions for further funding will be considered over the next six months.
A CFA spokeswoman said the trial would continue as planned until June 2014.
Shadow emergency services minister Jacinta Allan accused the government of slashing the firefighting budget.
