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Speaker 1: In now.

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Speaker 2: Some of you may be aware around Australia we've got

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Speaker 2: about three hundred thousand first responders, with few of them

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Speaker 2: looking for thanks for what they do on the frontline

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Speaker 2: day today, and today is the opportunity well to do that,

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Speaker 2: to actually thank them, Thank a first responder, because it

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Speaker 2: is Thank a first Responder Day, thanking those who do

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Speaker 2: so much to protect and care for our communities. Now

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Speaker 2: joining me on the line right now is Andrew Thomas,

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Speaker 2: the director of Ambulance Services at Saint John Ambulance in

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Speaker 2: the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Andrew, very good morning to you, Katie.

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Speaker 2: Mate. Firstly, thank you and thank you to all of

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Speaker 2: the wonderful people that work at Saint John.

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Speaker 1: Oh look and appreciate that. And I know how much

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Speaker 1: just a small word of thanks to our paramedics and

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Speaker 1: volunteers goes a long way for the amazing work that

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Speaker 1: they do, you know, every day of the year. And

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Speaker 1: so you know obviously the effort that they put in,

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Speaker 1: and they all do it because they enjoy it. They

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Speaker 1: enjoy giving to the community and those sort of things.

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Speaker 1: So you know, today is a great opportunity as you

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Speaker 1: said before, that someone if you see somebody and whether

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Speaker 1: it be with some john ambulance or with a police

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Speaker 1: fire and test any of those first responders, just to

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Speaker 1: be able to go up to them and say thank you.

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Speaker 1: And it's amazing how much that just gives people a

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Speaker 1: little bit of morale boost.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I would imagine that it does. You know, Like,

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Speaker 2: let's be honest, our first responders, they are as the

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Speaker 2: name suggests, they're first on the scene. So often when

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Speaker 2: things go wrong or when there is a tragedy, when

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Speaker 2: there is an incredibly difficult situation, you guys are there.

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Speaker 2: You're not running away from those scary situations, You're running

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Speaker 2: towards them.

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Speaker 1: Yeah. Look, you know they often say about the fact

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Speaker 1: that you know, it's you know, particularly for paramedics' it's

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Speaker 1: being there, being being and helping someone that could be

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Speaker 1: the worst day of their life. And you know, that's

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Speaker 1: part of the role that the that the staff do

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Speaker 1: with ambulance and they how they enjoy that opportunity to

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Speaker 1: be able to have an impact on somebody. And you know,

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Speaker 1: last year across the territory, you know, we had paramedics

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Speaker 1: treat nearly forty seven thousand territorians and visitors across the

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Speaker 1: whole territory and you know that's responding to those people

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Speaker 1: in a time of need. So amazing amount of effort

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Speaker 1: and you know the volunteers have done, you know, over

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Speaker 1: eighteen thousand hours of supporting events across the territory. So

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Speaker 1: and that's all in you know, what's been at the

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Speaker 1: height of you know, the you know, the COVID situation

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Speaker 1: and all those sorts of things. So it's it doesn't

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Speaker 1: matter it's rain, hail, shine, cold, hot, humid. You know,

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Speaker 1: the staff are out there and they're you know, working

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Speaker 1: in all those conditions to be able to provide that

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Speaker 1: level of care and that's you know, what they do.

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Speaker 1: And so if you see somebody they you know, just

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Speaker 1: you know, say thank you. And it's that that little

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Speaker 1: bit of acknowledgment and said it gives people a bit

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Speaker 1: of a boost.

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Speaker 2: What is being done today to mark the occasion? Anything different?

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Speaker 1: Now?

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Speaker 3: Look, I think you know it's it's a sort of

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Speaker 3: an event that sort of is across you know, Australia

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Speaker 3: and a lot of organizations are taking the opportunity to

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Speaker 3: you know, as I said.

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Speaker 1: Get on board and say thank you, or you know,

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Speaker 1: to promote the fact of those first responders that you

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Speaker 1: do a lot to protect and care for our communities.

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Speaker 1: And as I said, it's you know, it's it goes

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Speaker 1: beyond the you know, the the emergency services. It's it's

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Speaker 1: anybody that's in there in that ability and willing to

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Speaker 1: you know, put their hand up and or you know,

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Speaker 1: respond to something. And you know, as a community, we

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Speaker 1: should be trying to help each other and making sure

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Speaker 1: that when things happen, you know, if you can help somebody,

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Speaker 1: that's that's the way of you know, building a stronger

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Speaker 1: and better community.

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Speaker 2: Now you're talking through those numbers and and you know

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Speaker 2: what paramedics have tended over the last year. I know

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Speaker 2: that even when you talk about those triple O calls

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Speaker 2: as well, you get an enormous amount of those, and

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Speaker 2: the call takers in there have got a difficult job too.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, we've seen a rapid number of rise in our

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Speaker 1: triple zero calls and last year we answered close to

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Speaker 1: sixty thousand triple zero calls. And you know all of

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Speaker 1: those stuff there, you know, are do an amazing job

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Speaker 1: in terms of being able to take the calls and

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Speaker 1: get the information needed so that they can get the

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Speaker 1: ambulance and other emergency services responding as soon as they can,

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Speaker 1: but also providing that calm and reassured voice. But you know,

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Speaker 1: and some first aid advice to be able to commence

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Speaker 1: that treatment or help people who may have done a

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Speaker 1: first aid course actually feel confident to do something while

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Speaker 1: waiting for the ambulance. And you know, those sort of

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Speaker 1: those are the sort of things that and that action

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Speaker 1: that can save people's lives or really make an impact

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Speaker 1: to someone when you know they're pain and suffering.

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Speaker 2: What can people do today if they happen to see

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Speaker 2: a first responder? I mean, you know, if they're out

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Speaker 2: and about and they see a paramedic, they see a

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Speaker 2: police officer, emergency services, what should they do? Oh?

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Speaker 1: Look, I think you know, as I said, if you know,

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Speaker 1: if you're seeing of them, you know, if you're driving

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Speaker 1: past your seeing emailt's just give them a wave. If

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Speaker 1: you happen to be around the place obviously, just you know,

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Speaker 1: if you know, just every now and then, you know,

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Speaker 1: pop up in uniform at the shop and just pop

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Speaker 1: up and just say thank you. And as I said,

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Speaker 1: it's you know, the staff don't do it for thanks.

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Speaker 1: They do it because they're passionate and they love their

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Speaker 1: job and they want to help people. But as I said,

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Speaker 1: it's just it's a little bit of a morale boost

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Speaker 1: and it just pop makes people feel good. Everyone loves

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Speaker 1: a thank you or acknowledgement of the work they do

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Speaker 1: and as I said, just an opportunity today put it

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Speaker 1: at front and center of people's minds. And as I said,

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Speaker 1: you know, give them away, give the thumbs up, give

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Speaker 1: them a say good ay or say thank you. And

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Speaker 1: then just as I said, everyone's moral and makes everyone

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Speaker 1: feel good.

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Speaker 2: Well, Andrew, thank you, thank you, and all of the

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Speaker 2: wonderful people that work at Saint John. As I said earlier,

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Speaker 2: I know that you guys work bloody hard. There is

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Speaker 2: no doubt about that. As to all of our first responders,

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Speaker 2: thanks for having a chat with us this morning, and

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Speaker 2: well happy thank your first respond to day.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, thank you. And it's an absolute privilege to be

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Speaker 1: able to represent just an amazing bunch of people that

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Speaker 1: work at Sir John. And as I said, and I

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Speaker 1: personally would like to put out a big thank you

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Speaker 1: to all of our staff and volunteers for all that

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Speaker 1: they're doing. So thanks a lot, Cadie, and have a

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Speaker 1: great day.

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Speaker 2: You too, Thanks Andrew,