Ambulance Inspector Shocked by New Station News

Ambulance NSW Inspector Rebecca Tulk questioned the decision to locate the new ambulance station in South Windsor, revealing that both she and her colleagues were unaware of the site selection until it was reported in the Hawkesbury Post.

Speaking at the Hawkesbury Council’s Disaster and Emergency Committee meeting on Monday, Inspector Tulk expressed concerns about the lack of consultation and communication regarding the new station. “The first I heard about the new station was when I read the article in the Hawkesbury Post. Our sector management, including Superintendent (Ross) Chivers, were also not aware until this article was published,” Tulk said. 

“So like many of you I was surprised by the announcement and the location of the site but this was a decision made by people with much more delegation than what I have and as a member of th Hawkesbury community as an inspector I have expressed some concerns about the chosen site and the lack of consultation. I even raised it again this morning and again, as yet, I am yet to receive any feedback,” she said.

The new ambulance station in South Windsor is part of a $455 million initiative to establish 30 new stations across New South Wales. While the site was chosen following a comprehensive service planning process using best practice modelling software to map Triple Zero calls, its location has sparked controversy. 

Local Councillor Nathan Zamprogno has previously described the decision as “baffling” given the significant population growth west of the Hawkesbury River. “These decisions are only made once a generation,” he said, highlighting the urgent need for a station in North Richmond. He recounted an incident where an ambulance took over half an hour to reach Kurrajong.

Tulk said she undertook her own investigation of the Bureau of Health Information website and found that the Richmond/Windsor statistical area had almost four times the amount of incidents per month than the broader Hawkesbury area.

She found the Richmond/Windsor statistical area, encompassing suburbs including Yarramundi, North Richmond, Richmond, Londonderry, South Windsor, Bligh Park, Berkshire Park and Windsor reported an average of 504 incidents per month with approximately 39 incidents per 1,000 people. In contrast, the broader Hawkesbury area, extending from Kurrajong to Mount Wilson, Freemans Reach to Colo Heights, almost up to Putty, Ebeneezer through to Higher Macdonald and up to Bucketty averaged 139 incidents per month with roughly five incidents per 1,000 people.

Tulk said Bilpin has been identified as a suitable location for an ambulance ambulance Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).  CERT are designed to assist smaller regional communities and are comprised entirely of NSW Ambulance clinical volunteers who are trained and equipped to a high standard to support paramedics in times of need.