St John Ambulance says there should be a trained first aider at every football match across the Ballarat region.
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The call comes after parents were praised for their quick thinking in calling triple-0 after a teenager suffered suspected neck injuries in Beaufort at the weekend.
Paramedics assessed the Crows player and opted to airlift him to The Alfred hospital in Melbourne as a precaution when he complained of neck pain.
The close shave prompted many to question what level of first aid is needed in all Goldfields footy games.
St John Ambulance Victoria general manager John Kazanas said his medical volunteers regularly worked with junior football clubs in Ballarat.
“We recommend that there is always a trained first aider trained to St John standard at every game with an appropriate first aid kit and a defibrillator,” he said.
“Depending on the size of the crowd, we also recommend that an event health services provider such as St John is also used to complement the trained first aiders at the games and reduce the risk where there is a crowd gathering such as football games.”
St John Ambulance is a volunteer-based charity that regularly provides medical services to junior football clubs, with more than 30 active members in Ballarat.
Their dark green uniforms are a regular sight at matches but, as like most volunteer-based organisations, they still need more members to sign up.
In March, the state government launched a campaign calling on the public to save triple-0 calls for emergencies so paramedics could respond faster.
In 2015-16, calls for ambulance grew by 5.7 per cent, while Victoria’s population grew at a rate of just 1.7 per cent. While some of this growth in calls was due to genuine need, many of them were not emergencies.
An Ambulance Victoria spokesman said: “Use of air ambulance helicopters to transport to hospital is based on the patient’s clinical need following thorough assessment by paramedics at the scene”.
Use of air ambulance helicopters to transport to hospital is based on the patient’s clinical need following thorough assessment by paramedics at the scene
- Ambulance Victoria spokesman