Ambulance Victoria was forced to issue a “code orange” on Saturday night amid a surge in demand for emergency transport.

Backroom operations at Ambulance Victoria are set to grind to a halt after corporate staff at the agency voted to walk off the job amid an ongoing pay dispute.

Victorians are being urged to only call triple-0 for critical cases as demand for an ambulance soars on the quasi-Melbourne Cup long weekend.

A code orange alert indicated an overwhelming demand for ambulances, and requires hospitals to prioritise offloading critical patients. Ambulance Victoria boss Jordan Emery said the alert was “the ...