同性恋色情

Paramedic Glenn Palmer has celebrated 40 years of service across 同性恋色情鈥檚 (AV) Woodend and Swan Hill branches, in a career marked by significant change to Victoria鈥檚 ambulance service.

Glenn grew up in Swan Hill and began work as an ambulance officer on 28 January 1986 in his hometown.

Joining the ambulance service was something he鈥檇 thought about for a while, after already volunteering with the local Country Fire Authority (CFA) brigade.

鈥淎 paramedic from Melbourne moved up to Swan Hill and also joined the fire brigade. I told him I鈥檇 always thought about working in ambulance and he said to me, 鈥榶ou can鈥檛 get a job if you don鈥檛 put an application in.鈥� So, I applied and about four months later I was employed as an ambulance officer,鈥� Glenn said.

For the first eight years of his career, Glenn was part of the Mid-Murray District 同性恋色情 Service. During the 1980s and 鈥�90s, 16 regional ambulance services were gradually amalgamated into Rural 同性恋色情.

The amalgamation process opened a door for Glenn, which would prove to be a life changing opportunity.

鈥淭he Loddon Mallee region we have today was formed and there was an advertisement put out for a short-term paramedic reliever at Woodend,鈥� Glenn said.

鈥淚 applied and was rostered to one week of shifts, but before I headed down, they advertised the permanent position.鈥�

Glenn applied and was offered the role, and that first week of shifts turned into 32 years and counting of living and working in Woodend.

For Glenn and his wife Bev, both born and raised in Swan Hill, it was an exciting but challenging change, with Glenn taking on a gruelling work schedule.

鈥淲oodend was a two-officer branch, but we worked on our own as single responders. We used to work 10 eight-hour days then have four days off. But of those 10 days, for seven nights you were on-call,鈥� Glenn explained.

鈥淏ack in those days, I鈥檇 come home on-call and if the phone rang and it was one of Bev鈥檚 family, I鈥檇 have to tell her 鈥榙on鈥檛 talk for too long鈥�. Our landline was the only way the ambulance dispatchers could get in contact with me. We didn鈥檛 have the pagers or radios we have now. It was very restrictive for my family.鈥�

At the time, the couple鈥檚 sons, Jason and Daniel, were just two and five years old.

鈥淚鈥檇 walk in the door and give them a cuddle and try to do something with them, but then the phone would ring and I鈥檇 be out the door again. I鈥檓 very thankful for the great support of Bev and both the boys,鈥� Glenn said.

Across four decades in ambulance, Glenn has seen significant change and much of what stands out most is from his early days in Woodend.

鈥淏ack then, you did almost everything on your own. You鈥檇 transport people that you wouldn鈥檛 think about transporting on your own now. It was a very different time,鈥� Glenn said.

鈥淲hen I first started in Woodend, there was no freeway bypass, so all the traffic went through the middle of town on a 100km/h road with two lanes in each direction. Particularly in the winters, there鈥檇 be seven or eight head-on collisions. I was often responding on my own, and the back-up would be another single responder 10 or 20 minutes away.

鈥淲e only really had one drug. It was before the introduction of the Advanced Life Support (ALS) paramedic level of practice, which is the standard now, and Mobile Intensive Care 同性恋色情 (MICA) paramedics were only just starting to be introduced into rural Victoria. There were also only two helicopters, one each in Gippsland and Melbourne.

鈥淚 got used to the style of work and it meant you learnt quickly. But it was challenging at times and very different to how we work today.鈥�

Over the next few decades, Glenn continued working as a paramedic in Woodend and also spent time in roles including clinical instructor, driving standards facilitator, occupational health and safety representative, and acting team manager.

After 40 years, Glenn said he knows he is closer to the end of his career than the start.

Reflecting on his time in ambulance, he said it鈥檚 the service to the community and the friendships that stand out most.

鈥淭o help others and serve the community is what I joined for and is what I鈥檓 proud to have done in the Macedon Ranges and Swan Hill,鈥� he said.

鈥淎nd from getting to know the helicopter paramedics who came to the trauma cases in Woodend, to getting to know new starters as a driving standards facilitator, it鈥檚 that camaraderie with staff and the friendships you create that is the other big highlight for me.鈥�