Celebrating the life-saving difference of LNAA’s paramedics

Hosted by the UK’s College of Paramedics, the day highlights the profound impact paramedics make every single day around the world. From emergencies to the quieter moments of care, paramedics embody a commitment to making a difference to people’s lives in almost every imaginable situation.

Paramedic Matt Burns started his paramedic career working with the London Ambulance, first on the ambulances and then moving onto their fleet of fast response vehicles before joining LNAA 4 years ago. He is one of 19 paramedics at LNAA who work alongside a dedicated team of doctors and pilots, to bring the equivalent of a hospital emergency department direct to patient at their time of need.

He said: “When I left school, I was interested in medicine, but I knew I didn’t want to work in a hospital, I wanted to be out and about, working in unpredictable and challenging settings.

“The majority of incidents we attend are cardiac arrests and road traffic incidents, sometimes involving multiple vehicles. The environment we work in is often challenging due to location, bad weather or the time of day and this is when paramedics can have a big impact. Using their extensive knowledge, they are able to manage these scenes, many which involve numerous emergency organisations and involve multiple patients.

"But there are great rewards with the job, and I particularly enjoy meeting patients when they have recovered from their injuries and are well enough to visit HQ with their families.

I would say to anyone wishing to become a paramedic, ‘go for it’! But I would advise people to get some life experience before starting their career. If you can think on your feet, are compassionate and calm and if you are wishing to work in different and challenging locations every day then this may just be the role for you.”

International Paramedics Day takes place on the 8th July every year, as this marks the anniversary of the birth of Dominique-Jean Larrey, the man often referred to as the 'father of modern-day ambulance services'.