Geelong and the Barwon region recorded a 300 per cent increase for ambulance services between midnight and 2am this morning.
Ambulance Victoria (AV) paramedics worked through one of the busiest New Year’s Eve periods in recent years, responding to the sharp increase in emergency demand.
In metropolitan Melbourne, caseload between midnight and 2am was 150 per cent higher than previous years, with Geelong and the Barwon region recording a 300 per cent higher caseload in the hours after midnight.
AV said it was well resourced across the night, with additional paramedics rostered on across metropolitan Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula and key regional centres to support planned New Year’s Eve events and manage increased demand.
Ambulance Victoria chief executive officer Jordan Emery said paramedics responded to a wide range of serious and complex incidents overnight.
“Our paramedics treated a number of high acuity cases, including stabbings, serious assaults and fireworks related injuries, alongside the usual mix of medical emergencies, alcohol related illness, trips and falls,” he said.
“This was a much busier night than previous years, and our teams worked exceptionally hard under sustained pressure to ensure patients received timely and appropriate care.”
Several serious incidents required urgent ambulance response across metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria, and a number of fireworks related injuries that resulted in significant trauma.
Mr Emery also praised the role of event first aid providers, who treated more than 120 patients in the Melbourne CBD alone.
“The support from first aid providers was outstanding and made a real difference,” he said.
“By managing a large number of lower acuity patients on site, they allowed our paramedics to focus on the most serious and time critical emergencies.”
Despite the increased workload, early evening crowds were generally well behaved, with demand escalating later in the night as celebrations continued.
“I want to thank our paramedics, first responders, Communications Centre staff and our command teams for their professionalism and teamwork during a very demanding shift,” Mr Emery said.
“As we head into the rest of the summer period, we’re reminding people to celebrate responsibly, look after one another, and take care with alcohol, fireworks and risky behaviour.”
