1905 Ambulance was one of Melbourne's first telephone subscribers and by this year call boxes were located on the docks and at city street corners.

1907 The first Ambulance branch station was opened at Prahran. By this time the service had four horse drawn ambulances.

1910 The first motor vehicle ambulance began operation. In its first year it responded to 700 of the 4000 ambulance calls.

1916 The St John Association split its functions between three entities - the first aid training provider, the first aid service to public functions and the Victorian Civil Ambulance Service to provide the patient transport service. The ambulance service was plagued with lack of funds throughout its history relying on donations and support from Municipal Councils. The State Government refused to subsidise the service in the same way as the fire brigade and police saying ambulance was not a Victoria-wide service. The Service was insolvent by June 1916 and closure was contemplated though it was transporting 5600 patients a year and travelling 60,000 miles.

1918 A serious outbreak of influenza in Victoria made the ambulance service essential and with Public Health Department funding for the epidemic staff rose to 85 drivers and attendants and the fleet increased to 16 cars and horse drawn ambulances.

1919 By January the VCAS had carried 10,000 influenza patients to temporary hospitals the staff working 18 hour shifts. Fear of the epidemic was so great ambulance staff were refused accommodation and slept in the service's Lonsdale St headquarters. Tragically 57 ambulance staff contracted influenza and 4 died.

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