Sunshine will soon be headquarters to Ambulance Victoria’s largest metropolitan branch thanks to a $1.9 million upgrade of its Ballarat Road site.
Construction has already begun on the two-storey redevelopment at the corner of Ballarat and Westmoreland roads.
The original, 1970s-built headquarters was recently demolished.
Sunshine paramedics are currently based at a Laverton North centre on Boundary Road.
Ambulance Victoria regional manager Simon Thomson said the new branch would be operating by July and include a training room and secure off-street parking for the 50 paramedics stationed there. He said once completed, the new branch would be the largest in metropolitan Melbourne.
“This is a great location … it’s nice and close to main roads and Sunshine Hospital,” Mr Thomson said.
“The new site will include things that weren’t even considered important in the 1970s, such as secure parking for paramedics.”
The upgrade comes after extensive lobbying by Sunshine paramedics, who were concerned by the lack of sleeping quarters for crews doing shift work, and structural damage including cracks in the walls and holes in the roof.
Team manager Georgie Hall said Sunshine paramedics attended as many as 1000 call-outs each month.
The Sunshine site is one of three Ambulance Victoria branches in Brimbank.
The other two are at Kings Road in Delahey and Malcolm Court in Kealba.
