THE state’s “good guys” have had enough.

That was the message from Whittlesea Ambulance team leader Brett Overend, as members of the local crew joined other paramedics in the first phase of state-wide industrial action on Friday.

“The government sees us as the good guys who will always do the right thing and we’re easy mark to fight against,” Mr Overend said.

“There are other services and industries they are less likely to take on. Well we, as the good guys, have had enough.”

Across Victoria, 94 per cent of the state’s paramedics voted for industrial action, which was endorsed by the Industrial Relations Commission, following 12 months of failed negotiations over rest breaks and an increase in wages.

Victorian paramedics began industrial action on Friday by taking 10-hour breaks instead of the eight-hour breaks endorsed by Ambulance Victoria. The action could culminate in the first ambulance strike in 36 years later this week.

A local paramedic who wished to remain unnamed said he and his colleagues had been treated like machines.

While he had not witnessed any incidents of incorrect drugs or dosage being administered to patients, as had been reported in the media by other paramedics, he had both witnessed and personally experienced other potentially fatal situations, he said.

“Mistakes? Yes – falling asleep while driving,” he said.

“I’ve done it myself. Thankfully I was not behind the wheel when it happened but I’ve fallen asleep while driving home from work.

“And when it did happen at work (to another driver) it scared the daylights out of me. I was in the back with a patient and I had absolutely no control over what was going to happen.”

The paramedic said over-management, under-funding and poor allocation of resources had contributed to an “industry in crisis”.

A government spokesman said it was “disappointing” that the ambulance workers union was pursuing industrial action.

“Any bans that impact on the operations of an emergency service as critical as ambulance puts unnecessary pressure on the ability to respond to Victorians during a medical emergency,” he said.

“We will closely monitor the impact of any bans and take the necessary steps to protect public safety and welfare.

Ambulance Victoria general operations manager Mark Rogers said the proposed bans were not going to help reach an outcome.

“These bans will get media attention, they will generate hype but the fundamental remains that the only way to get this wage negotiation resolved is to talk, to reach agreement,” Mr Rogers said.

“We have said all along that we recognise fatigue as an important issue, but that is something we are keen to work on outside of the wage negotiations.

“There is currently an additional $200m difference in wages between our current position and what the union wants.

“Clearly this needs compromise, its needs to be resolved for everyone’s sake and we urge the union to return to the talks and sort this out,” Mr Rogers said.

- Kristy McDonald