Victorian ambulance resources are set to be stretched as the state swelters through another hot week.
Workloads for ambulance crews soared by 25 per cent during the mid-January heatwave and will again be strained this week with temperatures set to hover above 40C in some places.
Ambulance Victoria operations manager Paul Holman said they began preparing for the prolonged heat on Friday, and would roster on more paramedics where needed.
"Our resources will be stretched, there is no two ways about it," Mr Holman said on Tuesday.
"We will put on excess crews where we need them across the state. The demand will be huge again."
Ambulance Victoria said while there might be delays on non-urgent patients during the week, highest-priority cases would not be affected.
The state's northeast will be hit hardest by the heat, with temperatures forecast to reach the mid-40s in the Mallee region.
Towns such as Mildura and Swan Hill face a week above 40C.
Mr Holman said heat health alerts had been issued for the northeast for the end of the week.
Paramedics had been called to 10 cases of children or pets locked in cars by 4pm (AEDT) on Tuesday, including four triple-zero calls in 12 minutes.
Mr Holman said leaving a child in a car was the most dangerous thing a person could do.
Signs warning parents about the dangers of children being left in cars will be placed at Early Childhood Management Services centres by Kidsafe Victoria.
During the mid-January heatwave, there were 53 cases of children locked in cars.
Ambulance Victoria was also called to 14 heat stress or exhaustion cases on Tuesday.
The temperature passed the 40-degree mark in parts of the state, including 44C at Longerenong in the Wimmera region.
In Melbourne it hit 42C late in the afternoon before a predicted cool change.
Melbourne's temperature is expected to drop to 25C on Wednesday before climbing into the 30s again and hitting 41C on Sunday.
Lobby group National Seniors Australia called for the public to help older people who may not cope well with the heat.
Share
