- Published:
- Thursday 4 December 2025 at 1:00 pm
Generous community donations have supported Ambulance Victoria (AV) to provide best care to Victorians – funding innovative equipment, additional resources and expanding community health programs.
Ambulance Victoria’s Impact of Giving Report 2024-25 revealed more than $886,000 of community donations and bequests were provided to AV in the last financial year, of which $109,500 generously funded 27 new paediatric resuscitation manikins.
The new high-tech manikins have upgraded airway heads, which imitate the anatomy of patient airways, allowing paramedics to practise both fundamental and advanced airway management procedures, including endotracheal intubation.
In addition to airway management, the manikins can be used to practise cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
The manikins are equipped with advanced sensors that feed data back to a paired app, allowing the clinician to receive accurate real-time feedback on their resuscitation effectiveness via phone or tablet.
AV Continuing Education Lead Jodie D’Arcy said the new manikins have received glowing reviews from Advanced Life Support (ALS) and Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance (MICA) Paramedics using them to further their training.
“We are grateful for the community’s help in providing these additional resources to support the education of our operational workforce,” she said.
“A situation where a child is not breathing is uncommon, so going into that scene with the skills and confidence to competently perform airway management is vital.
“So far, paramedics who have used these manikins have said they provide a new level of in the moment feedback that shows if their ventilation management is effective. This allows them to refine their practice and can help identify strategies for improvement.
“It’s exciting to know these high quality, contemporary resources will enhance the care our teams provide to children across the state.”
AV Manager First Responder and Community Programs Dylan Hall said these manikins are just one example of community donations supporting additional training equipment.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to see how these community-funded resources are directly enhancing learning outcomes and operational capability for our paramedics,” he said.
“With these new resources, our crews now have access to manikins representing patients in all stages of life, from newborns through to adults.
“We view this essential training equipment as an excellent investment that will help improve the health and well-being of Victorians, by ensuring our paramedics are prepared to respond to critical situations they may encounter.
“The supportive feedback from paramedics who have used these new manikins is a true testament to the benefit of community donations.”
Donations to AV over $2 are fully tax deductible and represent a community investment in the future of Victoria’s pre-hospital emergency health care.
The Impact of Giving Report 2024-25 highlights how every dollar donated supports and enhances AV’s ability to provide world-class pre-hospital healthcare to all Victorians.
“We thank everyone who has donated to AV. Big or small, your support has enabled us to enhance our services and strengthened the care we provide,” Mr Hall said.
More information on donating to Ambulance Victoria.
Access the Impact of Giving Report.
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