TRENTHAM residents will feel more at ease, with the knowledge that medical emergencies will be responded to more rapidly by a team of trained volunteers now ready to respond.
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Trentham's new Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) has hit the road this week.
With the closest ambulance stations located at Kyneton, Woodend and Daylesford, the CERT team will be dispatched at the same time as an ambulance following a 000 call. The team can provide initial assessment and interventions until paramedics arrive.
Due to their location, CERT members are often first at a scene and are tasked with checking vital signs, delivering CPR or defibrillation in an instance of cardiac arrest.
They can also assist with binding snake bites, can splint fractures, provide pain relief or assist with complications to asthma and diabetes, among other issues.
The campaign for a CERT team began just over a year ago, when former Hepburn Shire Young Citizen of the Year, Country Fire Authority volunteer, GoodSAM responder and lifelong Trentham resident Ethan Brown shared a petition in late 2018.
Related coverage: Call for a CERT team in Trentham
Related coverage: Ambulance Victoria to host CERT team consultation in Trentham this week
He was motivated to gather support for a CERT team after experiencing the importance of being a bystander skilled with CPR in a medical emergency first hand.
Coupled with a growing elderly population, more young families moving to the area and an influx of tourists at weekends, he and fellow resident Jenny Burke believed there was a clear need for a faster response time to medical emergencies.
The team is comprised of nine volunteers aged from 20 to over 70, who are all trained and prepared to respond to emergencies. The volunteers are from a range of backgrounds and include a police officer, a number of nurses, two CFA volunteers, a retiree and students studying Paramedicine.
Ms Burke, the CERT Team's Co-Leader, is an experienced nurse who is also a GoodSAM responder. She said there was a need for more local emergency support, so the team members were all excited they were now all trained and ready to assist.
"We work hand-in-hand with paramedics, it's a great partnership," said CERT Team Co Leader Kim Moiler.
"We give paramedics an update on the patient's state and vital signs while they are on the way, saving crucial minutes when they arrive."
Mr Brown is pleased with the support from the town for the CERT team.
He said that in wintertime, there could be snow and black ice on the roads, which an ambulance would have to contend with if an incident were to occur.
But now, the CERT team would be able to arrive first and start administering lifesaving support.
CERT team members are highly trained by Ambulance Victoria. Each member has a Certificate IV in Emergency Response and each will undertake monthly training sessions.
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