Our First Responders

Everyday, all across Australia, our first responders are risking their lives for the betterment and safety of our community. From the little jobs, to the big ones, every aspect of our emergency service crew is important and is vital to the functionality of our society. 

The public can only comprehend a portion of the job. To many, the work of first responders can be put down to rescuing cats from trees and distributing speeding fines. But the reality of the job is much darker than that.  

We don’t see our fire-fighters pulling deceased persons from flaming cars; or paramedics resuscitating babies who don’t make it; or police officers having to tell a mother why their child didn’t make it home. There are so many different aspects to the job that the general public don’t see. All of the death, trauma, injury; so much hardship that just isn’t seen or recognized.

Everyday a first responder goes to work they face the risk of either severe trauma or death on the job. The nature of the job and the tribulations that first responders face, creates a space in which mental stressors and illnesses fester; these include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other anxiety and depressive disorders. Across all three emergency services, 39% of first responders are at risk of being affected by PTSD. This stress disorder is prevalent in those who have left the force and henceforth lost the identity and support that surrounds the job. It manifests in the form of anger, frustrated outbursts, and forced conflict with family. 

It is common that those who contract PTSD turn to vices such as alcohol, and show symptoms similar to that of a depressive disorder. In 2020, 12.5 per 100,000 first responders committed suicide as a result of PTSD and subsequent depressive disorder. 

These first responders do the dangerous and high-risk jobs that keep our community safe, even at the risk of their own wellbeing.