St John will be celebrating the work of our paramedics and first responders – both paid staff and volunteers – on the inaugural Australasian International Paramedics Day this Friday.

As part of the celebrations, St John will be joining the Australasian College of Paramedicine, the Council of Ambulance Authorities, Te Kaunihera Manapou Paramedic Council and Wellington Free Ambulance to thank our people and share the many ways they serve their communities through their incredible mahi.

St John Chief Executive Peter Bradley says he welcomes the opportunity to celebrate paramedics for their skills, commitment and dedication to serving their communities every day, particularly during the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.

'Throughout the pandemic, paramedics and first responders have put the wellbeing and interests of others first, working tirelessly in the most challenging of circumstances.

'Now being able to highlight and acknowledge their work on a dedicated day is a great development.”

Peter says it's also great to be able to highlight the incredibly high standard of clinical practice that paramedics uphold, culminating in the introduction of paramedic registration in New Zealand in 2021.

'The move to register our paramedics was part of a set of system-wide improvements that began four years ago, which include the double crewing of all emergency ambulances, the introduction of extended care paramedics, a review of the role that our critical care workforce plays in delivering improved patient outcomes, and other developments in patient pathways that ensure the right care at the right time.”

Peter says in addition to the year-on-year increase in demand for emergency ambulance services, paramedicine also increasingly bears some responsibility for community health.

'The pandemic has certainly highlighted the need to strengthen the role of paramedics in the community, providing care closer to home and integrating services and pathways.”

Being of service to the community is the central theme to the day and a chance to showcase the incredible diversity in the field of paramedicine and pre-hospital emergency care, across a breadth and depth of roles and locations.

While this campaign is being run by Australasian College of Paramedicine, the idea to dedicate a day to paramedics and first responders was coined in the United Kingdom by the Paramedics, whose focus is on celebrating the concept of showing pride for paramedicine.

St John paramedics and first responders are joining other Australasian counterparts in sharing how they serve their communities by creating short videos and images.

This material will be collated by Australasian College of Paramedicine on their website from July 8.