The unsung heroes of Queensland's Police, Fire, Ambulance, Health, Corrections, Justice and Public Service employees have been recognised by the QBank Everyday Heroes Award for the past eight years.
This year, one of the finalists, is Tilly Hersel, an emergency medical dispatcher with Queensland Ambulance Service. On the second day of her new job, a call came through from a distraught Macleay Island woman whose 74-year-old husband had fallen off the roof of their house. The man had suffered multiple fractures and gone into cardiac arrest as a result. Despite being new to the field of work, Tilly calmly talked the woman through CPR until paramedics arrived on the scene, her sharp, quick thinking saving the man's life. Tilly shared her story with Blank:
Usually, when someone starts a new job, they're given some time to ease into it. You were really thrown in the deep end on day two. Did you feel like handing the phone to someone else when you got that call?
This type of call is exactly what I was trained for. After undertaking seven weeks of extensive residential training and beginning my supervised phase in the Operations Centre, I felt prepared but very nervous. Emergency Medical Dispatchers are trained by excellent facilitators, but an integral skill for this role is to have the ability to make situationally appropriate, quick judgement decisions whilst interacting with people who are often highly emotive or in extreme, life-threatening situations. When I heard her emotions expel through her cries for help, I knew if I could get her to listen to my instructions using my calm voice we could do this together and I did my very best to take control of the call. I'm sure I bug-eyed my mentor on a few occasions with the look of 'wow is this really happening' and took multiple deep breaths to control my connection with her.
What went through your head when you realised how dire the situation was?
I was 1½ hrs into my second supervised shift when I received the call. Her 74-year-old partner had fallen off the roof of their house and went into cardiac arrest.
During the call, she was understandably hysterical beyond all measure, screaming on the phone 'he is going to die', 'I can't do this', 'OMG he is dying', as a result, I had to focus all my attention on explaining the importance of commencing CPR and then giving her instructions on how to do that as I know how acutely important CPR is in an emergency like this.
CPR is what will give her partner the best chance of being alive when the paramedics arrive. My caller was hysterical but fortunately, I was able to reassure her that she could do it – that she and I were going to do it together and I would be there to help her every step of the way. I had to put all my effort into remaining calm myself and to ensure this resonated through my voice so she wouldn't hear me panicking because my heart was pounding, and my adrenalin was rushing!
This was my very first CPR case that was not simulated in a training environment, so to answer a call from an understandably distraught woman whose partner was not breathing and bleeding from his mouth was very nerve-wracking, but thankfully as a result of my training, I knew what to do and I was able to reassure her and get her to calm down enough to comply with executing my instructions and conduct CPR – albeit one handed I might add!
We can't save everyone but pre-hospital care in an emergency is something that can and does save lives every day. After the paramedics arrived, they managed to stabilise the patient enough that he could be flown to the hospital with critical injuries. It wasn't until a month later when I received a letter from my caller saying I was her 'angel on the phone that I was able to find out that he had actually survived the horrible accident. I was so proud of her because really it was her that saved her partner's life, the fact she was able to listen to my instructions and do what I asked is what gave him the very best chance for an outcome like this one. The role we do every day is definitely important, but it can only be effective if our callers focus, try to remain calm and listen to our instructions – so the fact this lady did exactly that is why her partner is still with her today. It was a very intense call, I could feel all her panic in my bones, I don't think I'll ever forget her voice of willingness and determination to save him.
Did you ever get to meet the couple from Macleay Island face to face? How is he doing now?
Unfortunately, I have not had the opportunity to reunite with the couple. Conversations were in place of a possible meet-up at the start of the year and last month however COVID and availability with distance prevented this meeting.
When I heard the news via a Letter of Thanks from the couple that he had survived the horrible accident, a sense of relief came over me. I was informed he was airlifted to the hospital, put on life support and suffered multiple fractures; he is a miracle. I did hear that he walks every day now too.
What made you decide to become an emergency medical dispatcher after having worked at a major airline company?
I have performed in different operational roles throughout my career that has been fast-paced, time-critical, and high-pressure environments and I wanted to find a role that would enable me to couple this experience with my empathetic nature. I really wanted to help others and give back to my community. When I saw this role advertised, I knew it was the right time to venture down a new career path to what would be a very personally rewarding opportunity.
It's hard to imagine a more difficult emergency call than the one you received that day. Have you had to deal with anything similar since then? What are the most common calls for a medical dispatcher?
Another call that will stay with me for a long time was helping a couple deliver a beautiful baby girl into the world while waiting for Paramedics to arrive and having the cord rupture after delivery. Being there to provide support and life-saving instructions during someone's darkest hour, ensuring I'm interacting with them effectively in these extreme situations with empathy and calmness, but also having the privilege of being part of someone's story as they welcomed a child into the world is what really speaks to me and how very special this job is. No two days and no two calls are the same. Unfortunately, one of the most common calls for Emergency Medical Dispatchers is related to mental health. I never knew just how common and serious mental health cases were until I started working for QAS.
Hopefully, your story will inspire people to consider joining the QAS. What would you say to anyone considering a career as an emergency medical dispatcher or a paramedic? Are you considering becoming a paramedic?
Being an Emergency Medical Dispatcher is more than just answering Triple Zero (000) calls. It can be a tough job and the mission-critical nature of the work means that at times the role can be stressful, especially when we are experiencing a high demand for ambulance services.
The Ambulance Australia series showcases exactly what happens behind the lights and sirens with scenes in the Operations Centre. I encourage anyone considering this career path to watch the stories shared by paramedics and Emergency Medical Dispatchers, this and their stories are what inspired me to be here today.
For me, paramedics is not on the cards now or in my five-year plan, but neither was changing career paths from aviation so let's just say, watch this space!
How do you feel about being nominated and now being a finalist for a QBANK Everyday Heroes Award?
Having only just recently reached my one-year anniversary as an Emergency Medical Dispatcher, it was a very surreal feeling to receive an email of appreciation from the QAS Acting Commissioner and a heart-warming email from the patient's grateful partner. However, to now not only be nominated for a QBANK Everyday Heroes Award but to be a finalist in the Ownership category for just doing my job has me truly humbled. I didn't expect to receive this type of recognition – I'm very overwhelmed and honoured as we don't always hear a patient's outcome from a case or get recognition for the job we do every day so in this case, to hear that her partner survived and what a huge impact it had on her family, really solidifies how rewarding and life-changing this role can be.