Moments after Neil Buck was sent veering off the road after he was hit by another car, the first responders on the scene were quick to check if he was alright.
But in the central Victorian town of Maldon, like other small towns across Victoria, those first responders are often a familiar face — the postie, the butcher, a metal worker, or habitual volunteer.
Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) are ordinary townsfolk who have stepped up to protect their communities, and for Neil they deserve more recognition for the hard but vital role they play.
"And they [volunteer paramedics] were the first there, they looked after me very professionally.
"There's a number of people in Maldon that owe their lives to the CERT team and I'd really like to say thanks again for their commitment."
Volunteers filling the emergency gap
Mr Buck said he was not aware of the CERT before he moved from Melbourne to the small Central Victorian town 11 years ago and said more people should consider becoming a first responder.
Annette Gillham is a CERT volunteer based in Maldon and is one of seven volunteers who give their time so the team can be on-call around the clock.
"We go to emergency childbirths. We go to workplaces accidents and any other trauma."
There are 23 CERT teams based around the state in areas where Ambulance Victoria claim there is a low ambulance caseload and no ambulance station.
They are in less populated and more remote areas of Victoria, and are dispatched at the same time as an ambulance in response to a triple-0 call.
The volunteers work in pairs and are tasked with stabilising the patient for when Ambulance Victoria paramedics arrive.
Emergency service failed to meet targets
Ambulance Victoria has two official response time targets.
They should respond to code 1 incidents within 15 minutes for 85 per cent of incidents statewide, and within 15 minutes for 90 per cent of responses to code 1 incidents in places with more than 7,500 people.
But October's Ambulance Victoria annual report showed the service was failing to meet those targets.
The report stated paramedics responded to 77.1 per cent of code 1 incidents within 15 minutes, falling short of 85 per cent.
In the most life-threatening incidents, known as priority 0, only 81 per cent were responded to within the benchmark 13 minutes.
Ms Gillham said Maldon's CERT is always keen to have more members.
"It's not for everyone but it does take someone who is dedicated to learning and wanting to help people," she said.
Mr Buck said it was a timely reminder for people to stay safe on the roads.
"I've still got a few issues, but all I can say is don't use your phone while driving your car," he said.
"It takes 30 seconds and you're into somebody and there's a lifetime of regret."
