PARAMEDICS are warning that Victoria could be hit with the first ambulance strike in 36 years unless the State Government acts on paramedic fatigue.Year-long pay talks with the Government have broken down and paramedics are now preparing an application for an industrial action ballot.Ambulance Employees Australia state secretary Steve McGhie said a major sticking point was Ambulance Victoria’s refusal to support minimum 10-hour rest breaks between shifts.Mr McGhie is talking to members about their options and will not rule out stop-work action. “Victorian ambos face extreme workloads,” Mr McGhie said.“Many work more than 15 hours straight, often without meal breaks, and then need to be back working eight hours later.“Our survey last year found many get just five hours’ sleep between shifts.”Mr McGhie said a survey of 350 ambulances officers revealed many were falling asleep driving and making clinical errors because of fatigue.Ambulance Victoria has rejected claims that fatigue is placing patients at risk.The organisation said an audit of 131,000 cases found a clinical compliance of 99 per cent.Ambulance Victoria general manager of operations Keith Young said fatigue was an issue his organisation took very seriously.“The union, however, seems to want to lump it along with 174 other claims as part of a wage negotiation, and say that they are all as important as each other and they don’t want to budge on any,” Mr Young said.“To meet these requests would require an investment of an additional $800 million per year.“Our current total budget is only $600 million.”Mr McGhie called on Victoria’s health minister Daniel Andrews to intervene.“Paramedics in NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Northern Territory and the ACT all get 10-hour rest breaks between shifts.“We urge Daniel Andrews to step in now and make Ambulance Victoria Australia’s leading ambulance service,” Mr McGhie said.A spokesman for Health Minister Daniel Andrews said yesterday: “The Government is committed to reaching a fair and balanced wage outcome that properly rewards paramedics and continues to allow investment into our world-class ambulance services.“That agreement can only be reached through talking, not unnecessary industrial action.“We want to resolve this matter quickly - we remain available for further negotiations and remain willing to seek the assistance of the independent umpire to reach an agreement.”