Frontline Ambos have been significantly impacted by an increasing workload and the Covid-19 pandemic in recent years. Ambos are working long hours in difficult circumstances, often without breaks or timely knock offs. Their normal day is attending our worst day. In our emergency, whether that be a vehicle accident, heart attack, or stroke they are doing their absolute best to be there for you, delivering life saving care.
The ambos union, the Ambulance Employees Association (AEA), has started a new initiative to provide on-the-ground support and nourishment to our hard working ambulance staff, and they’re warmly referring to it as the ‘Welfare Wagon’.
The Welfare Wagon project is injecting some much needed support, sustenance and spreading camaraderie amongst the ambulance workforce.
It’s a vehicle that embodies the generosity of the community, delivering donated snacks and drinks and coffees to ambos in ramp queues, ambulance stations, the comms centre and workshop across the state.
The initiative has been brought to life thanks to Maddie who is a Sprint Paramedic with the SA Ambulance Service. Seeing the current conditions take their toll on her Ambo colleagues, she wanted to provide encouragement and gratitude to her fellow workers. “To put it frankly, in my decade of work, I have never seen my workmates so burned out – physically and mentally exhausted,” she said.
“Sadly the combination of the high workload, an inability to have breaks or knock off on time, ramping, the physical toll of PPE, heatwaves and a pandemic are taking an enormous toll on our Ambos and Ambo staff . This inevitably affects the wider SA community and their access to life saving care.”
“Fed up with waiting for things to change, I have joined up with some of my wonderful workmates and our not-for-profit Ambulance Employees Association (AEA), to provide support to the ambo family.”
A number of SA organisations and businesses have kindly offered to help and Ambos have been overwhelmed with the support.
Maddie was approached by Northpoint Toyota, who have kindly loaned their Community Vehicle, taking on the nickname of the Welfare Wagon, to use until April 2022.
It travels around offering moral support, snacks and cold drinks to ambos stuck on hospital ramps, at their Communications Centre, Fleet Workshop, Offices and Country fringe stations.
“The vehicle is predominantly staffed by retired ambos,” Maddie said.
“They are providing a wealth of camaraderie, perspective, encouragement and kindness to our troops- whilst themselves feeling like productive and highly valued members of the team.”
The maiden voyage kicked off on February 4 and Maddie said the exhausted paramedic recipients are already feeling utterly elated even by the sight of the Welfare Wagon.
“The overwhelming support from local organisations has been overwhelming to some, and it took a fair bit of encouragement to even accept the snacks at first,” she said.
“The Ambulance Fleet Workshop, whose contributions are sometimes overlooked, were just over the moon as they too have been working relentlessly to keep our ambulances on road.”
“One young ambo even hugged her banana, exclaiming that she was ‘starving’ and this was ‘exactly what she needed’.
“Seeing the shift in morale, smiles on my workmate’s faces and a spring in their step after some cold caffeine, has just been the most heart-warming thing.”
A growing number of SA organisations have kindly offered their support for this initiative including The Family Chef, Country Women’s Association, First Things First Coffee, The Duke of Brunswick Hotel, Pony and Cole, Beerenberg Farm, Mischief Brewing and The Print Parlour. “Our own workmates are even baking for the cause” Maddie said.
If you want to show your support to the paramedic workforce through these times, contact [email protected] to see how you can help.
“It’s time to nurture our ambos the way they have always nurtured us,” Maddie said.
“If we keep them on the road, we keep our community safe!”
More News
