Sorry, no results found
Awareness and First Aid
ER24 paramedics are often the first on scene at horrific accidents or acts of violence. They see the worst. So, what happens once the shift is over?
For ER24 paramedics, traumatic emergencies are part of daily working life. Motor vehicle accidents, drownings, suicides, shootings, explosions, domestic violence, and mass casualty events are among the incidents they may attend. But what happens to the people who witness these scenes day after day, year after year? Some may be vulnerable to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a potentially serious mental health condition.
What Is PTSD?
Tammy Dicks, ER24’s National Trauma Support Coordinator, explains that PTSD is more than an emotional response to a bad experience. “It can be a debilitating disorder,” she says. “You'll experience symptoms like repeated flashbacks to the incident, panic, shortness of breath, and sweats.”
Symptoms often include nightmares, sleep disturbances, emotional triggers, and a persistent inability to feel safe, even long after the danger has passed. What makes PTSD particularly complex in emergency services is that symptoms can take months to fully surface, sometimes appearing six months or more after the triggering event.
On the frontlines of trauma
Jolanda Roose, an Intermediate Life Support (ILS) medic based at ER24 East Metro, knows this reality only too well. Having worked in Johannesburg before transferring to Cape Town in 2023, she has seen scenes that most people could never imagine.
She describes responding to a devastating multi-vehicle accident on the N3, involving two trucks, three cars, and a taxi filled with schoolchildren. "It was brutal," she says quietly. She completed nine death declarations that day alone.
Then there was the Boksburg explosion on Christmas Eve 2022 when a gas tanker that was lodged under a bridge detonated without warning while Jolanda was on scene. “The first trailer went – exploded. The blast knocked me off my feet. There were countless fatalities. It was devastating. When I got home, it really hit me. I couldn't sleep. I was in tears the whole time.”
Like many paramedics, Jolanda initially coped by going into what she calls “robot mode”, pushing through back-to-back calls without pausing to process. “You have to function because your next patient expects the best of you. But suppressing trauma comes at a cost,” she says. Over time, she experienced nightmares, intense irritability, aggression, and flashbacks triggered by fire or the smell of burning. “I often woke up screaming.”
The hidden burden of the job
Dicks explains that no amount of professional experience makes a medic immune to trauma. “Just because our paramedics have taken on the task or chosen this profession doesn’t mean they need to handle and deal with every scene as if it’s a normal part of daily life. We're still human.”
The range of trauma ER24 crews face is vast – from paediatric drownings to bombings to psychiatric emergencies – and any one call, even for a seasoned responder, can “hit a little too close to home,” says Dicks.
Support that makes a difference
ER24 has responded to this challenge with a dedicated Trauma Support department. Three counsellors are available across South Africa, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All sessions are completely confidential, and paramedics can even call anonymously. “At ER24, we take trauma and mental health really seriously,” emphasises Dicks.
For Jolanda, this support has been transformative. After a breakdown following a traumatic call in Khayelitsha, her ER24 crew partner encouraged her to reach out for help. She began counselling with Dicks, who says: “We've walked a long journey together over the past three years. We’ve processed instances where Jolanda has felt triggered by certain things, and the nightmares she’s experienced when reliving those events. We use specific tools and techniques to understand what her body is trying to tell her about the emotions she’s experiencing in the moment.”
Jolanda agrees. “I’ve got very good support and I’m thankful for that,” she says. “My recovery is ongoing.”