Vol. 13 Issue 3. 2019

Erin Smith Course Coordinator and Senior Lecturer in Disaster Response at Edith Cowan University and Amee Morgans Executive Director Operations Support ESTA
I believe you and Amee also
worked on a research paper
together around paramedics’
perceptions; can you talk a bit
more about that work?
Amee: Yes, in 2009, Erin and I
worked on a research paper titled
‘Paramedics’ perception of risk and
willingness to work during disasters’.
Paramedics, as emergency healthcare
workers and frontline responders
are expected to be both willing and
able to respond when disaster strikes.
In summary, this research looked at
whether the willingness to work is
directly influenced by paramedics’
perception of risk.
Erin: In terms of methods, a total of
58 Victorian paramedics participated
in this study and a total of 12 focus
groups were conducted throughout
the state, with each group facilitated
by the use of three different
emergency services scenarios. We
then analysed each groups’ reactions
to those scenarios.
It’s clear from your careers
and research that you’re both
passionate about the wellbeing of
emergency services workers. How
important is this to the sector as
a whole?
Erin: A lot of my work to date
looked at the long-term impacts on
first responders after disasters. For
example, with my research involving
9/11, I followed the paramedics and
their families over 15 years to see
the mental health impact that 9/11
had. The emergency services sector,
because of the nature of its work,
is one that can have high levels of
anxiety and stress and other mental
health issues. It’s important that as a
sector we continue to address these
issues and ensure that our people are
getting the right help before, during
and after disasters.
Amee: The 2009 Victorian bushfires
was when I saw the mental health
consequences on those from my
own family who work in emergency
services; my sister works in triple
zero, one brother is a police officer
and my other brother is a firefighter.
To see the impacts on my own family
really drove home how important
looking after your wellbeing is in
this sector is. Both Erin and I, in
our roles, are looking at trying to
make the workforce a healthier place
for emergency services workers by
looking at how we can set up better,
how we can manage things better and
how do we recover better. If people