History: The concept of the EMR is to save lives additional to those that can be presently saved by the current emergency ambulance response. Emergency Medical Responder skills and equipment are designed to prolong life for the first few minutes after a collapse and prior to the arrival of ambulance paramedics who are needed to provide a more advance medical response, treatment and transport to hospital. Genesis of the EMR Program The concept of an EMR role for the Brigade was first initiated during Jeff Godfredson's term as Chief Fire Officer (1988-1998). This initiative was largely influenced by his association with US Fire Services through his involvement with ICHIEFS, where he sought for the MFB to continually seek opportunities to introduce an expanded range of fire and emergency services. This included increased cooperation with other emergency services agencies, which ensured the use of available resources to improve the delivery of emergency services to the community. At the time, the MFB was also receiving criticism from the government of the time that it wasn't efficient enough, and that firefighters were not adequately utilised in emergency services. In 1994, the Victorian Government's Public Bodies Review Committee (PBRC) was the first formal forum in which the possibility of firefighters undertaking Emergency Medical Response was raised. In its Report of the Public Bodies Review Committee into the Metropolitan Fire Brigades Board (1994) the recommendation was for the MFB to "extend its role to include an emergency medical 'First Responder' role in support of, and at the request of the Metropolitan Ambulance Service"