COMMUNITY SPIRIT A 'CERT' AT THE ROCK

The community at The Rock has embraced an opportunity to develop an ambulance service for the area, with volunteers to begin training in autumn next year. 

The volunteers will train to become members of a NSW Ambulance (NSWA) Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), which aims to deliver ambulance services to The Rock and surrounding communities by the end of 2025. 

The Independent Member for Wagga Wagga, Dr Joe McGirr, who worked closely with the community and NSWA to develop the idea, said it was a great testament to the passion and dedication of local people. 

“Once the need for a service was established, NSW Ambulance assessed the support of the community at public meetings and there was a terrific response from potential volunteers who are keen to train in life-saving skills,” he said. 

“It means well-trained volunteers in a rapidly growing community will be on hand 24/7 to respond to emergencies in the area, providing fast, localised ambulance care when it is most needed.” 

Volunteers are expected to begin their nine-to-12-month training program from late April or early May next year. 

The training will include classroom learning and driver training combined with shifts on the road with qualified paramedics in ten-to-12-week blocks. 

Chair of The Rock Progress Association, Kelly Forrest, said the community was excited by the opportunity to learn skills that will provide crucial care at road crashes, medical situations and other emergencies. 

“This is another example of The Rock community uniting to meet an important local need and delivering a service that can save lives in times of emergency,” she said. 

“Although we are close to Wagga, having a team of local people on the ground in The Rock will ensure trained experts are ready, willing and able to respond to call for help at a moment’s notice – and it’s a great credit to our community that the idea has been so well supported.” 

Successful volunteers will graduate with nationally accredited Certificate II qualifications, complemented by a range of clinical credentials. 

“This is a great illustration of the way in which communities like The Rock have identified a problem and worked together to solve it, and I’d like to congratulate the community, the progress association and the ambulance service for working so effectively to fill a critical gap in local services,” Dr McGirr said. 

“In some cases, this can-do attitude by The Rock community could literally make the difference between life and death and I’m proud to have helped make the proposal a reality.” 

The new CERT team will receive a fully stocked ambulance vehicle when the training is completed, with the volunteers to run their own rosters and be on call around the clock.