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On any day or night shift, Matt is responsible for supporting 16 ambulances and their crews. Matt and the other shift managers also need their own very specialised vehicle – a Critical Response Vehicle.

 These Critical Response Vehicles are really important and make a real difference when attending emergencies, as Matt explains:

“It’s literally some of the critical care equipment that isn’t carried in a standard response ambulance. Ambulances can’t carry every single type of drug and there is unique specialist equipment that might be specific for intensive care paramedics or flight paramedics.

“I carry spare back up equipment for crews should anything break down. I can rush urgent vital medicines for a critical patient in need. Wherever the crews are on the road, rushing to a call-out, with a Critical Response Vehicle I can arrive on the scene with what extra they urgently need.

“Recently I travelled to a crew who urgently required vital medication that was not onboard the ambulance. By me getting on the road quickly and meeting them at the scene, they did not have to divert and could respond immediately to the call out and get there faster. It might sound simple but when minutes count this makes all the difference for the person who needs help.

“Later a ‘red call’ came in. A ‘red call’ is a serious incident with a threat to life. A crew attended a school where a child was having ongoing seizures. The child had complex medical needs and the crew were focused on stabilising them. Jumping in the Critical Response Vehicle I got to the scene to provide essential support, liaising with the teachers, keeping everyone informed and calm as the crew focused on the child.”

The moments that stay with Matt

Matt is super passionate about his job – as he points out, “When you do a job like this, it’s not a job!”.

He goes on to say “I actually love being around people, and you can see the impact that you can make every day on people’s lives. It is a very unique job and you're exposed to all sorts of different situations, and you can make a significant difference for people.

“Whether it’s attending to someone in cardiac arrest or someone who has fallen over and broken their leg, or a major emergency, every incident is an opportunity to help people. Of course, saving lives is the ultimate goal.

“There are some calls that will stay with you forever. I can never forget attending a baby who had gone into cardiac arrest. The family had come home from hospital just that day. There had been no signs. The baby was sleeping well but unfortunately was actually gravely unwell.

“The new parents realised something was wrong and we raced to the scene. We worked on the baby for a long time, and I continued CPR for another 40 minutes when we arrived at the hospital. It was all hands on deck to save this little life.

“Heartbreakingly, there was nothing we could do that time. It's hard and unfortunately, it does happen from time to time. And obviously it's horrific for everyone involved. It affects everybody. But like the tight-knit community we live in, everyone jumps in to provide support to everyone involved.

“At Wellington Free Ambulance, every day the paramedic team know that being able to do what we do is a direct extension of the community.

“This is a service for the people funded by the people and as paramedics that makes us incredibly proud of the lives that are saved and people we can help because of the community’s support that we live in.

 "It’s like really, the wonderful people who donate are the crew behind the crew.”

People’s lives can be saved only because of the crew behind the crew. If you’d like to support our crews, like Matt, please consider donating today to help us raise $250,000 for some much-needed vital Critical Response Vehicles:  https://www.supportwfa.org.nz/