Two of NSW Ambulance’s amazing Clinical Volunteers have followed their dreams to join the ranks of our paid staff – one as a paramedic intern, the other as an emergency medical call taker.
Maria Burke had only just moved to Scotland Island in Pittwater in 2018 when she applied to become one of the island’s Community First Responders (CFRs).
“I’d been a stay-at-home mum supporting my family and my husband’s career, and I was looking to do something for myself. I knew I wanted to do something where my contribution was going to be valuable, and I’m really not the desk job type,” Maria explained. “My neighbour was in the Rural Fire Service and he encouraged me to join up. That was the start of my journey.”
Five years later, Maria is a Paramedic Intern learning the ropes at Artarmon Station. “It was a bit daunting at first,” Maria said of her first impressions of life on station. “There’s so much to learn. All the staff are so supportive though. I’m absolutely loving it.” Maria knew early on in the volunteer part of her ambulance career that she’d found her dream job. She enrolled in a paramedic degree at Charles Sturt University, while learning and maintaining her CFR skills and responding to call outs on Scotland Island. There were plenty of challenges to overcome on the way. When she needed inspiration, Maria found it in her volunteer work.
“I was pretty fatigued with all the study and wondering if it was all worth it. Then we had a major trauma response on Scotland Island involving a child and her grandmother, and I was first on scene. It ended up as a multi-agency response with the NSW Ambulance rescue helicopter. The incident reaffirmed for me, my part in big picture.”
At the Paramedic Shield Presentation at the State Operations Centre on 11 August, Maria’s husband and three teenage sons watched on as she received her epaulettes and posed for official photos with her classmates. “My boys are really proud of me,” Maria said. “There are so many positives. I have no regrets – it’s everything I thought it would be and more.”
Kasey’s new calling Kasey Millstead was headed home to Yeoval from her day shift as an emergency medical call taker at Western Control Centre in Dubbo when she spoke to Sirens.
“It’s a 69 km drive – that takes about 45 minutes one way. You’ve got to watch out for kangaroos and pigs at night. More so the pigs at the moment. They’re pretty bad this year,” Kasey said. Kasey Millstead was at the heart of her community long before she became a Volunteer Ambulance Officer (VAO).
“Yeoval’s a small town of 400 people and I’m related to half of them,” Kasey joked. In her very full life, the mother of four runs a service station and retail outlet, is a breeder of mini fox terriers, and serves on the Yeoval Show Society. She has also forged a career as the author of 25 bestselling romance novels including her Down Under Cowboys series.
However Kasey’s journey to her ambulance career had the saddest of beginnings. In 2011 her son Jovi passed away in tragic circumstances on the family farm, and the Yeoval Volunteer Ambulance Officers were first on the scene. “I learned more about their work, and when there was the opportunity to volunteer, I took it,” Kasey recalled. “I’ve thought a lot about the call taker I spoke to since that day… After three years of volunteering, I decided to apply to become a call taker.
“I completed the 5-week call taker course at Gladesville. Five minutes into my first shift at Western Control, I started taking Triple Zero (000) calls from across NSW with a preceptor.” Kasey said she’s enjoying the challenge of her new role. “It’s obviously different to being on scene in person. It’s funny working alongside the dispatchers, whose voices I got to know well while working as a volunteer. Everyone has been so friendly and supportive too.” “I love it. It’s really good.” Kasey also said she’ll also be continuing her clinical volunteer work at Yeoval on her days off.
On the day of the Paramedic Shield and Call Taker Presentation 23-05, Superintendent Desiree O’Brien who oversees NSW Ambulance Clinical Volunteers (CVs) was beaming as she sat with Maria and Kasey at the State Operations Centre in Sydney Olympic Park.
“Our CVs are the best people – absolute salt of the earth. They make a life-saving contribution where they live,” Desiree said. “They are the spearhead of our service delivery in their communities. They minimise the time between a call for help and initial care from a clinically skilled responder in locations where paramedics will take a long time to get to the scene.”
“As well as making themselves available 24/7 to respond to local emergencies, CVs also donate a significant amount of their free time to monthly maintenance of skills training.”
“I couldn’t be prouder of Maria and Kasey for their perseverance and commitment to caring for our patients,” Desiree said. NSW Ambulance has more than 350 clinical volunteers, working at 59 locations across the state.