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Road Rescue Arrangements Victoria

Road Rescue Arrangements Victoria is a strategy document on the provision of road rescue services in Victoria. The document outlines an integrated multi-agency delivery network, operating within the framework of the State Emergency Response Plan. It includes detailed information about: 

• the service delivery expectations of road rescue
• the applications of these service delivery expectations
• standards to service providers 

The arrangements are designed to provide the appropriate balance between the resources required for establishing and maintaining road rescue crews and the level of service expected by the community. 

Definition of road rescue 

'Road rescue' refers to the release and extrication of trapped people from motor vehicles. It's a service provided by specially equipped and trained emergency service crews. When an ambulance is dispatched to a road crash , a road rescue crew will also be sent, unless it known that no persons are trapped. 

Aims and objectives

The primary objectives of the arrangements is to ensure an effective, sound and sustainable system of road rescue in Victoria. This systems aims to deliver the best possible care to, and safe extrication of, persons involved in road crashes. 

Inter-agency commitment to the seamless delivery of a highly skilled and community focussed service is an important aspect of achieving the effective and consistent provision of services across the State of Victoria. 

Road rescue services

In Victoria, road rescue is provided by 145 approved crews from the following services: 

• Country Fire Authority
• Metropolitan Fire Brigade
• Victoria State Emergency Service
• Independent crews at Shepparton and Echuca 

These crews work in close collaboration with the ambulance service and Victoria Police. 

Historical background

In 1989, the then Ministry for Police and Emergency Services issues 'Road Accident Rescue in Victoria - A New Era', and this policy has subsequently applied to road rescue arrangements. 

The policy document established, for the first time, a means by which the provides of road rescue services would be formally approved to perform a specialised service. 

Although innovative and at times controversial, the system introduced by that policy has stood the test of time and served the requirements of both service providers and the travelling public in Victoria. 

Management of road rescue provision

Road rescue is managed in Victoria by the provider agencies: Country Fire Authority, Metropolitan Fire Brigade and Victoria State Emergency Service, within the framework of the State Emergency Response Plan. Under this Plan, Divisional Emergency Response Committees ensure that service provision within their respective areas is well coordinated and managed. 

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Author:	Department of Justice
Place of Publication:	Melbourne
Publisher:	Department of Justice
Date of Publication:	August 2002
Number of Pages:	24
Copyright:	State Government of Victoria, 2002