Voluntary Emergency Medical Assistance (VEMA)
Call-out Criteria for Emergency response:
Emergency Call Number: all calls should be placed to the Operational Duty Phone (Op’s Phone) on the following number:
083 630 0000 – calls will be dispatched from this phone to the nearest most available member or appropriate EMS service.
VEMA will respond to the following Emergency Incidents when available:
- Vehicular collisions / pedestrian collisions
- Trauma incidents
- Chest pain or suspected cardiac emergency
- Collapse – unknown cause, public place or private residence
- Respiratory emergency
- Falls with injury
- Near drowning
- Major incidents (More than 10 patients at one incident or multiple services required)
- Rescue incidents – mountain and other (High angle team)
- Assistance in emergency at medical facility if extra personnel required: ALS only
- Other medical emergencies including suspected intoxications /poisonings
VEMA will not primarily respond to the following:
- Simple patient transfers
- Discharges to home
- Patient movement to Medical Facility where private transport is used in cases where an EMS vehicle should be utilized
- Care facility where an in-house service exists (e.g. frail care or care centres) unless the need for resuscitation is identified by the centre staff
- Palliative care for terminal patients who refuse transportation to hospital
- Incidents where there are already known to be adequate numbers and skill levels of EMS / Medical providers on scene
VEMA is a voluntary, non-profit, public benefit organization and as such will guarantee only acceptance of the call – we will forward the call to a fee-for-service private ambulance service or the state EMRS service for transportation and when no member is readily available to respond.