Tech failures leaving our ambulances ‘lost’ BY ERIN PEARSON FAULTY technology is leaving Geelong ambulances lost in the field, state parliament has heard. Liberal MLC Jan Kronberg told the upper house ambulance dispatchers were losing track of ambulances due to the fault with “status buttons”. Staff had noted that the fault made it “difficult to know accurately where your resources are”, she said. “This sounds like Keystone Kops. It is appalling,” Ms Kronberg said. Ambulance Employees Association of Victoria’s Steve McGhie confirmed the “widespread” problem. “The status buttons are pressed by the ambos to inform the communica-
tion centre of their whereabouts but they aren’t working,” he said. “It means the communication centre doesn’t know the status of their ambulances unless they call in but many drivers aren’t even aware of this and don’t know they aren’t working.” Mr McGhie said the problem left dispatchers unsure whether multiple ambulances were on their way to a single call-out. “The dangers are dispatchers don’t know where their crews are or whether or not they’re loaded or unloaded,” he said. “[Dispatchers] lose control of where their crew are, which means more than one vehicle could respond to a call.”
Ambulance Victoria had not responded to the Independent’s calls for comment before the paper went to press. Meanwhile, Liberal candidate for Geelong Alastair Thomson accused sitting Labor MP Ian Trezise of failing to guarantee the future of McKillop Street’s ambulance station. Mr Thomson said he believed State Government planned to close the station despite its central location in Geelong. “Recently situations have arisen where patients have been taken to hospital by police in the back of a divvy van and others have been forced to drive themselves to hospital due to ambu-
Exercisers Latin it all hang out in Zuma craze BY ANDREW MATHIESON A NEW exercise craze has throngs of participants shimmying and shaking across the Geelong region to infectious Latin American beats. Zumba workshops have spread from the Bellarine Peninsula across Geelong since the first classes started in February. The workout combines Latin and international music with dance moves to provide an aerobic workout with a difference. Zumba Geelong founder Kathryn Rae said suggesting the dance fitness program had merely “taken off” in the region failed to capture the excitement behind the new craze. “Last Monday we had 20 new students off the streets come in,” she said. “It’s like that all the time now.” More than 1000 members have joined a Zumba Geelong Facebook page since the craze arrived in the city. Workshops have spread throughout Drysdale, Grovedale, Hamlyn Heights, Lara and Geelong. “One of my girls summed it up as a major addiction – it’s like chocolate but you don’t put on the weight, you lose the weight,” Ms Rae said. She described Zumba as being to modern exercise what aerobics was during the 1980s.
lances being unavailable,” he said. “The local member must immediately guarantee the McKillop Street ambulance station remains open, is properly staffed and resourced to meet the needs of the Geelong community rather than be redeployed to Belmont.” But Mr Trezise said the McKillop Street station had not housed ambulances for “many years.” “They run out of Barwon Health,” he said. “What we’re doing is providing a new space in Belmont. There are plans to shift the radio base from McKillop Street to the Belmont station because that’s all that’s there but these plans haven’t been finalised.”
Work it: Kathryn Rae demonstrates her Zumba technique at Drysdale’s Potato Shed. Picture: John Conway 49546
The workout was accidentally created in Colombia when an aerobics teacher forgot his music and improvised with the only tapes he had in his backpack –Latin salsa and merengue, Ms Rae said. Zumba combined both forms to create routines featuring interval training with fast and slow rhythms and resistance training to tone the body while burning fat. “Zumba is more like the exotic dance moves that everyone always wished they could learn turned into a fun routine,” Ms Rae said. “It’s turned classes into a little club venue – without the alcohol.” Lara’s Cara Ponte only joined her first class less than a fortnight ago when her naturopath recommended Zumba. Ms Ponte said she came back feeling so terrific that she was compelled to write on her Facebook page: “Zumba, where have you been all my life?” Ms Ponte said the dance movements made Zuma an easier workout than aerobics. “You really do burn a lot calories doing it,” she said. “It’s like an aerobic workout but with dance movements instead. “I’m finding it really good because I’m already doing group exercise anyway.”
in brief Woman killed AN ELDERLY St Leonards woman has died and her husband is seriously injured after a car crash in western Victoria on Sunday afternoon. Police have charged the 18-year-old driver of the other car with culpable driving over the death of Margaret Witham whose husband, Donald, was listed as in a serious but stable condition on Wednesday.
Riding high CHILDREN in City of Greater Geelong are number one in Australia for riding to school, according to a national survey. Victorian municipalities filled the top five places for school participation in this year’s National Ride2School Day.
Billions unwilled ABOUT $28 billion in personal wealth of Geelong region residents remains without the protection of wills, according to a law firm’s research. Slater and Gordon said almost half of local families did not have valid wills, leaving their wealth open to contest after the death of a family member.
Ford anniversary FORD Australia is celebrating 85 years in Geelong and a half-century for its iconic Falcon range. Ford said its “special birthday” celebrated the 1925 opening of its North Geelong factory, which began producing Australia’s oldest vehicle nameplate in 1960.
Railway parks A CAR park for 2500 vehicles will service a “future railway station” at Waurn Ponds, according to Member for South Barwon Michael Crutchfield. He said Armstrong Creek Railway Station would service new suburbs to grow south of Geelong as well as the Surf Coast and Bellarine Peninsula.
Racing water A NEW watering system worth almost half a million dollars will help keep Geelong Racing Club’s turf track in optimum condition, according to officials. Racing Victoria’s Paul Bittar said the system would be “critical” to maintaining the quality of the track with sufficient cushioning for horses while eliminating potential surface “bias”.
Bypass meeting A PUBLIC meeting will discuss options for residents to fight plans for a bypass link to Surf Coast Highway at Grovedale. Residents fearing the link will devalue their nearby homes plan to host the meeting at Grovedale Community Centre from 7pm this Friday ahead of talks with Vicroads next week.
Police hunting man over sexual assault at Grovedale found at the house could be linked to the assault. Geelong detectives are leading the investigations. Police asked anyone with any information to phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or to visit www.crimestoppers.com.au.
Geelong 5274 9811
Wanted: The wristband, above, and a man police want to interview about the attack.
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One of the men was described as of European appearance with short, dark, straight hair and brown eyes. A laptop computer, an iPod and a digital camera were allegedly stolen as part of the attack. Police said a wrist band
483999-KS24-10
POLICE are hunting two men who allegedly sexually assaulted a young woman at a Grovedale home a fortnight ago. Police said they were seeking information on the men who witnesses saw with the victim outside a Heyers Road residence about 2.30am on June 20.
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The Independent, Friday July 2, 2010
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