The spirit of bipartisanship between the NSW Government and the Labor Party was on show at North Dalton Park carpark on Thursday afternoon.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
That is where NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard joined Labor counterparts Ryan Park and Paul Scully to announce Fairy Meadow would receive its own ambulance station.
It came after two earlier health-related announcements in the region, including announcing where the site of a new $700-million Shellharbour Hospital.
Mr Hazzard said Fairy Meadow was identified as the ideal location to base a new station to provide the best ambulance coverage across the Illawarra region, now and in the future.
"This is a first for Fairy Meadow, providing paramedics with a modern facility with state-of-the-art equipment to help them carry out their vital job of saving lives in the local Illawarra communities," he said.
"The next step will be choosing the best site in Fairy Meadow to build the ambulance station. To do this we have expert help from tried and tested international software which maps Triple Zero calls."
The Fairy Meadow station falls under the NSW Government's $232 million Rural Ambulance Infrastructure Reconfiguration (RAIR) program.
"These new fit for service stations are great," Mr Hazzard said.
"The old stations are often dark, dingy and have no meeting rooms and facilities for women paramedics aren't great.
"The new stations are great. They are well designed and really do recognise that paramedics need space to recuperate.
"Some of the things our paramedics see are quite horrific and yet they keep coming back and doing the job again and again....so having those areas where they can sit down and discuss issues with their colleagues is essential."
Opposition Heath spokesman Ryan Park said the ambulance station was much needed for the Fairy Meadow community.
"This is a significant investment in our region but most importantly it will ensure our local residents get access to the emergency first responders when they need it most," the Member for Keira said.
"Men and women who drive our trucks and treat us in our hour of need do an incredible job, sometimes a thankless job.
"This investment I hope shows the spirit of bipartisanship when it comes to investment in our health services in our region."
The Fairy Meadow ambulance station will join Illawarra stations Bulli, Wollongong, Warrawong, Barrack Heights and Kiama.
NSW Ambulance Assistant Commissioner Clare Lorenzen said Fairy Meadow was the fifth station anniounced under the RAIR program.
"This is the first ambulance station for NSW Ambulance in Fairy Meadow," she said.
"It will support our network response in the Fairy Meadow, Wollongong and surrounding communities."
Ms Lorenzen said the next stage was to choose an appropriate site.
"What we do is we look at our computerised programs to identify where the best response point will be for NSW Ambulance so we can get to most people in the shortest time possible," she said.
"Fairy Meadow definitely needs it in terms of population. It is a growing area. We are providing responses from Bulli and Wollongong at this particular time and we've recognised the need to improve that response capability of Fairy Meadow."
Do you have a story or news tip to share? Email us on alatifi@illawarramercury.com.au
We depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.