Hello from the world of ambulances and other emergency services!
We hope you have an excellent Christmas and holiday period. It’s a fun time and people are usually in a good mood at the end of a working year. It’s a time to spend with family and friends, to eat and drink, and generally try to reconnect with humanity.
But please look after yourselves. Historically the Christmas period has been a bad time for certain types of problems. People often crash their cars at this time of year because they’re travelling long distances to see family. They may also be overtired or drunk, which is rarely a good idea.
New scooters and other toys are also common sources of injuries – supervise your kids and make sure they have appropriate protective gear. Pools are another big risk – it’s hot weather in Australia, but you can’t supervise your kids from inside the house, and especially if you’re halfway through your second bottle of wine.
Big kids hurt themselves too – new power tools are a classic. Read the manual first and wear goggles. No-one wants to go to hospital on Christmas day because they’ve lost fingers while playing with their new circular saw.
Sadly, this is also a peak time of year for suicide and family violence. If you know someone who doesn’t have family at Christmas, invite them to your shindig. The only thing worse than being alone is knowing that everyone else is having a great time.
Lastly, don’t forget about the people who are working over Christmas to keep you safe – paramedics, police, fire/rescue, military, prisons and border security. We’re obliged to work, regardless of what our family situation is. We’d rather be at home, but this is our job and we understand the way it works. Still, we’d appreciate it if you didn’t create more work for us.
Have a great Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year.
Robbie & James
