Talk2MeBro fundraising walk: Paramedics talk about how they cope

"I've been to bad places," the long-time paramedic admits as we walk the Blue Mile for local mental health/suicide prevention charity Talk2MeBro.

When I asked him to walk with me for the charity's September fundraiser, he answered immediately - "yes".

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"If you've walked the walk with this kind of stuff ... you give it back. This is a give back," he explains.

Inspector Rees brought along his daughter Vanessa Gibson, who's also a paramedic, and they talked about what classifies as their worst day on a job, and how they deal with it.

"It's not getting the result that you aim for," Insp Rees said. "We're there to promote health and look after people who are in their worst, and sometimes that's just not achievable no matter how hard you try."

His relationship with his adult kids gets him through the tough times, and shared work experiences with Vanessa are particularly helpful.

"You need somebody to talk to and somebody to understand," Insp Rees said as he fought back tears.

For Ms Gibson, her worst days are being under-resourced and decisions made for paramedics.

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"People not making the best choices for the patient, or for us, and we're just flat chat, or on our arse. Us having to advocate for ourselves is really frustrating," she said.

To bring her joy after a tough day, she turns to the gym and "getting a bit more social".

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"You've got to keep out, not hide in a hole," she said.

Insp Rees is keenly aware of the impact on paramedics in his area, in his role as a NSW Ambulance Illawarra duty operations manager.

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"I do the running cumulative effect on staff. I go out to all the jobs, I don't sit there and do the office thing all the time," he said.

"I've been doing it for years now and it gets you a lot more respect and a lot more understanding, and people will come to you."

I've registered to walk and raise funds for Talk2MeBro's September fundraiser 'Walk With Me', and set a personal goal of 120 kilometres to help those struggling. So far I've walked 104 kilometres.

Find out more at talk2mebro.org.au or make a tax deductible donation here.

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