Steadfast leader retires after three decades on the frontline

From starting as an Ambulance Community Officer (ACO), to working on road as a paramedic, and ending in senior leadership roles, Paul James’s career at Ambulance Victoria has been nothing short of remarkable.

Over 31 years, Paul has been a trusted and reliable member of Ambulance Victoria, not only changing the lives of his patients, but also his colleagues.

Now, as he enters retirement, Paul says there’s nothing he would change if given his time again.

“Every moment of my ambulance career has been fast moving and very enjoyable,” he said.

“The biggest highlight for me has been the people I’ve had the privilege of working with each day. The camaraderie and mateship has been fantastic and made all the difference.

“It’s also been a great honour to be invited into people’s homes in their most vulnerable moments.

“As paramedics, our main role is to be there for patients and to provide help. Sometimes that help is fast-paced and on a large scale, but there’s also a lot of fulfillment in those quieter moments when we just need to be their support.”

After gaining hands-on experience as an ACO, Paul traded his job in medical equipment marketing in 1995 for a role in the South-East Ambulance Service.

“When I started on road, we worked out of Ford F150 wagons, carrying multiple patients in a single ambulance with minimal medications,” Paul said.

“Our training was different too, as we completed three years at the Ambulance Officers Training College before becoming qualified. Today, graduate paramedics have advanced skills learnt as part of their degree and are provided with cutting-edge technology to support their work.”

With a background in management, it only took three years for Paul to be appointed team manager at the Morwell Branch, where he oversaw both Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance (MICA) and Advanced Life Support (ALS) paramedics.

Paul then moved to Warragul and worked on-road while raising his children. In 2010, he returned to a leadership role as a group manager and has since held several higher relieving roles, working in almost every Ambulance Victoria branch in the Gippsland region.

Paul found supporting his colleagues and mentoring them into leadership roles highly rewarding.

“As a manager, I was able to interact with so many people across the organisation and really be there for my team to enjoy the wins and support them through the hard moments,” he said.

“Of course there were challenges, but overall, I was able to connect with people and hopefully I made their time with Ambulance Victoria a bit better.”

Driven by a passion to make a difference on the frontline, Paul played a crucial role in Ambulance Victoria’s response to some of the state’s major emergencies, including the 2009 Victorian bushfires, 2014 Hazelwood mine fire and 2019–20 East Gippsland bushfires.

“Being involved in so many large-scale incidents I learnt that you never get everything right, but each experience allows you to incorporate your learnings into the next event,” he said.

“In the moment, you’re managing so many people, patients and other factors, so you work out what you can do, with the information you have, and there are always learnings along the way.

“For example, during the Hazelwood mine fires we set up the community health centre to help us assess members of the public. Seeing its success, we then set up similar centres at other events to provide much needed care to the community.”

In retirement, Paul is looking forward to continuing his volunteer role as Treasurer for the Baw Baw Ambulance Victoria Auxiliary and potentially returning to where it all began and becoming an ACO again.

He continues to volunteer with Life Saving Victoria, an organisation he’s been involved with since the age of 13 and saw him invited to meet Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of his lifelong dedication to protecting and supporting others.

As Paul trades the ambulance for a caravan, he said it’s hard to say goodbye, but he remains excited about the future of paramedicine in Victoria.

“The advancements in technology, even just during my time with ambulance, have been phenomenal. I can’t wait to see what might be possible in the future, whether that be jetpacks or more online healthcare options,” he said.

“I hope new recruits see the beauty and rewards in the job and enjoy all that it brings – including the best people.”