Volunteers
Volunteers have been operating for many years in the Ambulance Service and their role in communities is vital. Volunteer ambulance officers, peer support officers, chaplains, consumer representatives and staff donate their time every day and make a very real and enduring difference to the quality of care we deliver.
- Volunteers are community spirited people who contribute
personal effort, time and skill to enable Ambulance to extend
the availability of services to those in isolated communities.
Like our workforce volunteer
ambulance officers come from different occupations, educational
backgrounds and life experiences. The ongoing success of
volunteer services
in
NSW demonstrates that small communities are prepared to
engage in partnerships with Ambulance to take ownership
and accept responsibility for providing
a community operated ambulance service in areas with limited
or non existing ambulance resources.
The role of volunteers will continue to evolve to allow Ambulance to provide effective service delivery in line with increasing chronic disease, poor access, health inequalities and indigenous groups in rural and remote communities. Our volunteers operate under Ambulance standard operating policies and procedures, health guidelines and legislation.
There are two models of Ambulance volunteers:- Volunteers Ambulance Officers are accredited, trained and administered under the direct jurisdiction of Ambulance. Volunteers may be attached to a station, a hospital or operate through an established volunteer station with assistance from neighbouring stations. Volunteers ambulance officers respond in an ambulance vehicles and can transport patients.
- Community First Responders are accredited and operate under Ambulance governance and training. The majority of volunteers respond under a formal Memorandum of Understanding with the State Emergency Service, the Rural Fire Service, or the NSW Fire Brigades. Community first responders do not operate from a Ambulance or health facility, do not have a ambulance vehicle and do not transport patients.
- Ambulance has 112 peer support officers who are operational staff providing support, out-of-hours on most occasions, to colleagues who may be affected by exposure to traumatic workplace incidents.
- Ambulance has 23 volunteer uniformed ambulance chaplains who are available to provide confidential and individual spiritual counselling, pastoral care and assistance to employees, patients and their families following a traumatic incident, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The team of chaplains is guided by a permanent senior chaplain, the Reverend Ray Green who co-ordinates their role and engages new volunteer chaplains.
- Consumer representatives are members of the community who provide valuable feedback on ambulance projects and ensures the public are consulted on ambulance initiatives.
- Ambulance staff also donate their personal time to deliver community education programs and represent us by promoting important health messages at community events, station open days and parades.
- The Ambulance Band was commissioned in 1985, the band has performed for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth
11 at the opening of Parramatta Stadium, graduation ceremonies,
St John investitures at Government House, NSW Health functions
and special events in metropolitan Sydney and rural NSW.
Upcoming performances include:
> Battle of Britain Service for RAAF, Martin Place - 15 September 2009
> Darling Harbour concert - 11 October 2009 at 12pm
> Thank a Paramedic Day, Parramatta Town Hall, 182 Church Street, Parramatta - 20 November 2009 at 10.30am
> Christmas Parade in Sydney - 29 November 2009 (Time to be announced)
We thank all volunteers for their
invaluable contribution to ambulance care.
Volunteer
ambulance officers work
tirelessly in rural and remote areas to assist Ambulance
deliver emergency pre-hospital care.