Reignite your fire

It is already well known that paramedics face higher levels of job-related stress compared with the general population owing to the potential for distressing and traumatic events (Mildenhall, 2019). This is apparent in higher rates of depression, anxiety, fatigue, sleep disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (Bentley et al, 2013), suicidality and suicide (Vigil et al, 2019)—and that is when we are not in the midst of an ongoing pandemic.

So, where does that leave paramedics now, as they deal with the weight of increased workloads associated with COVID-19, the additional worry around the use (or inadequacy) of personal protective equipment and following new and constantly changing safety protocols, the added fear of becoming infected, the loss of colleagues? All this is piled on top of the usual high-stress nature of the work, including on-the-spot clinical decision-making, the potential for moral distress, and the unacceptable but relatively common occurrence of violence or aggression from the public for whom they care.