Millicent Spencer
Star Weekly is taking a look back at 2023. Here’s one of our biggest stories from last year.
January 31
Mernda local Brett Drummond has been awarded an Ambulance Service Medal to mark his significant contribution as a paramedic over the last two decades.
Mr Drummond commenced his service with Ambulance Victoria in 2003 and has since gone on to serve a number of roles both on the frontline and in management. He played a leading role in implementing landmark changes in response to Ambulance Victoria’s review into the Thunderstorm Asthma event of 2016.
Mr Drummond said he was “humbled” to have received the award.
“It’s not the sort of thing you expect or ask for when you do your job,” he said.
“I have always worked in areas that have been about working with the community and looking after the community.
“Being a paramedic is about meeting people and helping them in a time of need.”
Before joining Ambulance Victoria Mr Drummond volunteered with the Broadmeadows SES, so his connection to the local area goes back decades.
“I grew up in Thomastown, lived in Mill Park, and then moved to Mernda,” he said.
“I went and joined the local SES in 1995. I did that for 10 years and ended up running the local Broadmeadows unit so that has kept me tied to the area.
“I’ve always tried to try to stay engaged in the community from a personal perspective as it’s really important for people to take a bit of pride in the community they live in.”
Mr Drummond said the variety of work he gets to do as a paramedic has kept in the job all these years.
“It’s always exciting and it’s always different – it’s a very rewarding job,” he said.
Mr Drummond now works as the manager of consequence and planning in Ambulance Victoria’s Emergency Management Unit. In this role he has worked across a number of events including the Gipplsand fires, thunderstorm asthma event, and COVID-19.
“The last couple of years have been challenging,” he said.
“In my role I have to think about how we prepare for and respond to major emergencies [so] COVID definitely impacted our work quite significantly [as] demands are quite high.
“It’s fatiguing and stressful but I try to step away and remind myself I am doing the best I can… although finding the time to look after yourself is hard when you are trying to look after other people.”
Mr Drummond said he is proud of the review report he co-authored into Ambulance Victoria’s Thunderstorm Asthma Emergency Response Plan.
“It’s a significant piece of work [we’ve] done,” he said.
“It’s a new plan with really good outcomes with patients, and really that’s what it is all about.”
