Photo: SBS

Minister for Ambulance Services Jenny Mikakos today met 17 courageous everyday Victorians who found themselves at the centre of a life-threatening medical emergency and helped save the life of a relative, neighbour or a stranger.

The annual awards are a chance to showcase the important role quick-thinking bystanders can play when an emergency strikes.

Bystanders at the scene of an emergency who call Triple Zero and then help administer First Aid, CPR or defibrillation until paramedics arrive give patients the best chance of survival.

Among those honoured today are a bus driver, passenger and staff at Sovereign Hill in Ballarat who used a public access defibrillator to save the life of a 39-year-old runner who had experienced a cardiac arrest.

Sovereign Hill is one of 25 sites across Victoria with a public access defibrillator funded by the Andrews Labor Government. It was the first time the defibrillator has ever needed to be used.

Other Victorians honoured include an eight-year-old boy from Macleod and his four-year-old sister who helped save their dad, Ashburton teenagers who stopped their mate from drowning, a Wangaratta footy team who saved a local cricket legend and two Belgrave South residents who came to the aid of their neighbour.

Victoria’s paramedics do an incredible job saving the lives of Victorians when they need help – and the Andrews Labor Government gives them the support they need to do what they do best.

We’ve already repaired the ambulance crisis, with our $500 million investment to cut response times ensuring ambulances are arriving at the scene of code one emergencies faster than ever before.

The Labor Government will now invest $109 million to recruit 90 new paramedics, build new ambulance stations around the state, turn single-crew ambulance stations in remote rural areas into dual-crew teams and put more cutting-edge vehicles on the road.