FIREFIGHTERS from Sorrento Fire Brigade are now trained to respond to people experiencing cardiac arrests thanks to a vital new partnership with Ambulance Victoria.
Sorrento is one of 22 brigades across the state taking part in Fire Medical Response (FMR) program to boost their emergency medical response.
Both CFA and Ambulance Victoria will be called simultaneously to cardiac arrests incidents, with 50 brigades to ultimately be a part of the service.
CFA district eight assistant chief fire officer Sean Kerr said the program would serve the community in more ways. “Nine members from Sorrento brigade are now ready and embedded within the community, trained to respond swiftly in those critical early minutes,” he said. “These members have undergone extensive training and will now co-respond with Ambulance Victoria to improve survival outcomes.”
Sorrento Fire Brigade Captain Michelle Croad praised the training initiative, with its trained members embracing the new responsibility. “The Sorrento Fire Brigade has now completed our training and is excited to respond to FMR emergencies,” she said. “This enhances our operational capabilities within both the brigade and the wider community.”
CFA deputy chief officer Garry Cook said the program was a natural fit for CFA. “Over coverage across Victoria puts us in a unique position to complement Ambulance Victoria’s response in 50 locations across the state to help deliver early intervention to cardiac arrests,” Cook said.
Ambulance Victoria of regional operations executive director Danielle North said high rates of early intervention had placed Victoria among the global leaders in cardiac arrest survival. “The Fire Medical Response program will improve survival rates for people in rural and regional Victoria,” she said. “Quick intervention with CPR and a defibrillator has the greatest impact on improving a patient’s chances of surviving a cardiac arrest.”
First published in the Mornington News – 5 August 2025
