ORANGE paramedics have gone over and above the call of duty and are struggling to maintain an efficient service for Orange and district with insufficient numbers for a 24-hour roster, mayor John Davis said.
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Cr Davis made the statement yesterday after meeting with NSW Ambulance zone manager Brad Porter in Orange.
“After my discussions I am convinced the levels our paramedics are working at with not enough staff just simply is not sustainable,” Cr Davis said.
“The figures just don’t add up,” he said.
Cr Davis is putting forward a two-part notice of motion at next Thursday night’s council urging councillors to support a push for more paramedics to service the community than the current level of 20, and that council will meet with member for Orange Andrew Gee to garner his support.
Yesterday NSW Ambulance told the Central Western Daily demand for ambulance service in Orange has remained static over the last four years, with a slight decrease in demand in the last year.
“History is history as far as I am concerned and I can’t believe we haven’t had an increase over the last 20 years while our population has continued to grow,” Cr Davis said.
“But what I do know now is that we need to plan for the future and convince NSW Ambulance it has to budget for more paramedics for us,” he said.
“There’s only so far you can stretch an elastic band before it breaks,” he said.
Sub-branch president of the Health Services Union Ian Spurway met with Cr Davis on Thursday telling the mayor it was a regular occurrence for paramedics to work a full day shift and then be called on to work all night.