Watching over us while we sleep

A crowd of people gathered outside a house in Groutville on Friday night. A woman cries while several neighbours stand silent vigil. A man has been murdered and Paul Herbst and IPSS medical services are the first on the scene.
“I am a paramedic, I am coming inside,” said Herbst as he opens the door to the bedroom of the two-room house.
Pools of blood paint a grim picture of what he will find inside. An elderly man lies on his bed. He has been stabbed to death.
“It looks like he has been stabbed about 17 times,” said Herbst while he examines the body.
It is strange to think that this tragedy is commonplace in the life of a paramedic.
The Courier was invited to join IPSS Medical Services on Good Friday, traditionally a busy evening in the profession.
Driving around in the emergency response vehicle, I realise how vital paramedics and emergency services can be. While he drives, Herbst is in constant contact with other emergency services keeping tabs on accidents and potential emergencies.
“Working together is important. When we get to accidents all the emergency services help each other out.”
But it is not all action. Being on duty comes with a lot of waiting around. Operating out of a small office in Stanger, the team waits for emergency calls. But the job can be perilously dangerous.
On Friday night the first call out is the murder in Groutville.
“In these situations, things can get out of hand from time to time. People demand to know what happened and they can get violent if they think we or the police were too slow in getting there,” he said.
“I have been to protests where paramedics have been attacked.”
On the way home, the question is asked, what has been the most difficult part of this career path?
“It is a difficult one to answer, I lost friends when I was a combat medic in Afghanistan. Losing children is always hard as well. Any loss of any life is sad and that is why we do what we do,” said Herbst.