Team 570 - Bega Bunch - Hawkesdale Critical Emergency Response Team

Posted 27 February 2020

The Hawkesdale CERT is an organisation that is a team of volunteers within a community who provide first response in the event of an accident as described below. “Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) consist of ambulance volunteers who function as ‘first responders’ within communities where the nearest ambulance branch is at a distance. Whenever they are dispatched to a job, an ambulance is also dispatched but the CERTs provide basic emergency care until the ambulance arrives.”- http://www.ambulance.vic.gov.au/Paramedics/Types-of-Paramedics/Community-Emergency-Response-Team.html

Hawkesdale CERThas been operational since April 2005, and during this time has responded to over 250 medical emergency incidents in the Hawkesdale district.  Response areas have included; Hawkesdale, Warrong, Woolsthorpe, Willatook, Minhamite, Abbey Hills, Minjah, as well as other ‘remote’ areas.  The Hawkesdale Team came into being following a nasty accident on a local dairy farm that saw a woman waiting in excess of 45 minutes for urgent medical assistance.

Volunteers came from all walks of life with farmers, teachers, retired nurses, with most not having a medical background.  All training was done by Royal Ambulance Victoria, and ongoing monthly training is done by Ambulance Victoria.  In the event of a ‘nasty call-out’, Ambulance Victoria provides an excellent Peer Support Program.

The money raised by the M2M ride will be pooled to a fund managed by the Committee for the CERT group.  That money would be used as a member development fund and would greatly assist new & existing recruits to further the skill sets required for the task.  Examples of this would be training weekends with other CERT groups in the state,

The Bega Koroit Cycling Team is made up of Koroit employees from Site Manager to Operators.  The employees who are taking part in this relay form part of the ‘Koroit- Health Group’.

The Health Group was formed to promote the health and wellbeing of factory employees and provide a link between the site and the community.