'So fed up': Why paramedics' new red shirts could bring triple-zero to the brink

"If we bring them to hospital, there's a team of six or eight nurses who will touch that patient, and multiple doctors who have senior doctors and surgeons to also review the patient," he said.

"They sit in the hospital for hours because they're waiting on someone more senior to make the call to send them home, but our employer wants me to make that call at 2am, with a 22-year-old offsider who's just new in the job, without any of the other tests they do at hospital.

"I'm getting pushed leave these guys at home if they meet the criteria but it's a complex, risky thing. The stress is next level."

This - and the countless other professional and personal risks he takes on the job - is why he's taking part in the high profile paramedics' boycott that could shut down triple-zero on New Year's Eve, the busiest night of the year.

Since the start of the month, Mr Vernon - an Ambulance Division Health Services Union delegate for the Illawarra and a paramedic of 15 years - has been wearing a bright red shirt saying 'ambulance driver', instead of his usual garb.

Like about 2000 other paramedics in NSW, he did not renew the registration which allows him to work and take on risks as paramedic .

The grace period to get registered will run out - making them nothing more than ambulance drivers who cannot operate, give drugs or make high risk decisions - on January 1.

Mr Vernon said paramedics were keen to do their work to save people's lives, but had reached breaking point.

He said their campaign had made a splash, with patients and staff in the busy Wollongong emergency department doing a double take when his crew walked through last week.

"We're normally all in blue, so the red shirts are a talking piece for patients, health staff and anyone we come across to really get this conversation happening in the local community," he said.

"We want people to know we can do some amazing things - things that we used to have to call the helicopter or the doctor to do are now part of our job - but that's not recognised in our pay."

"We love this job and we want to help people - but they prey on our kindness. Ambos are just so fed up."

He said many Illawarra paramedics were taking part in the boycott, as "we've got the Health Minister Ryan Park as our local member here and we really want to be seen by the public".

Indeed, Mr Park has taken notice and said the state cabinet and NSW Health were "putting measures in place" to avoid the New Years Eve shutdown, after the HSU walked out on negotiations over a new pay deal.

"We are very concerned about the impact that would have on triple-zero services," he said.

"If we didn't have 2000 paramedics registered and able to work on [NYE], one of the busiest evenings of the year, then that would have a serious impact on triple-zero and bring it to its brink."

He said it was illegal for an unregistered paramedic to work and operate on patients.

To try and end the industrial action, the government has made an offer which it said would bring NSW paramedics take-home pay in line with those working in Queensland.

However, the union said the four-year offer did not match base pay for Queensland paramedics and would always leave NSW workers short.

The breakdown in negotiations means the dispute will now appear in the Industrial Relations Commission on Monday afternoon.

In Wollongong on Saturday, Mr Park said he was disappointed paramedics had walked away.

"The NSW government wants to pay paramedics more," he said.

"Yesterday, we put forward an offer that saw an increase in their wage of around about 19 per cent, we focused on take home pay because that's the easiest way we can compare with a paramedic in Queensland."

"I want the community to understand that this was a very strong offer, a very honest offer ... because we understood the need for paramedics to be paid more.

"We understood that their role has changed significantly, and we also understand that like many essential workers, they're dealing with their own cost of living challenges at home.

"This was an offer that would have seen thousands of more dollars in the pay packets of paramedics."

"We don't believe that this offer should result in triple-zero not being able to operate on New Year's Eve. We don't think that is reasonable, we believe and are ready to continue to engage with the union."