THE City of Whittlesea is among the busiest areas in Victoria for ambulance callouts.
Recent data indicates that Whittlesea is among the top local government areas (LGAs) with the highest percentage of total workload for Ambulance Victoria, alongside Casey, Hume, and Wyndham.
In the most recent reporting period, Whittlesea recorded 3,602 Code 1 incidents—life-threatening emergencies requiring urgent ambulance response—making it the fourth busiest municipality in the state.
This high demand has impacted response times; the average response time for Code 1 cases in Whittlesea was 15 minutes and 29 seconds, exceeding Ambulance Victoria’s target of responding within 15 minutes.
To address these challenges, Ambulance Victoria has been implementing measures to improve response times, including the opening of a new ambulance station in Epping last December.
Additionally, statewide initiatives are being introduced to reduce ambulance ramping and improve hospital handover times, aiming to enhance overall emergency response efficiency.
These efforts are part of a broader strategy to manage the increasing demand for emergency services in rapidly growing areas like Whittlesea.
Overall, the high volume of emergency calls in Whittlesea reflects broader pressures on Victoria’s healthcare system, influenced by factors such as population growth, deferred care during the COVID-19 pandemic, and increased demand for emergency services.
Ambulance Victoria (AV) Executive Director Regional Operations Danielle North said paramedics and first responders across Victoria are responding to the most critical ‘Code 1’ emergencies on average 17 seconds faster than three months ago.
From January to March 2025, AV crews across Victoria responded to 65.6 per cent of Code 1 cases within the state-wide target of 15 minutes, up from 64.9 per cent in the previous quarter. The state-wide average response time to Code 1 emergencies was 15 minutes and 25 seconds, an improvement from 15 minutes and 42 seconds three months ago.
“Despite the drop this quarter, we have seen a 31.8 per cent increase in Code 1 cases since the COVID-19 pandemic began more than five years ago,” Ms North said.
