Meet 10 first responders Canberrans rely on during a crisis | The Canberra Times

From the remote, alpine ridges of Namadgi to the busy, neon-lit streets of Civic on a Saturday night, these locals respond to crises of all shapes and sizes.

This is part two of a list of 20 heroes who are part of the backbone of our city’s safety net. You can read part one here.

Some first responders will never be known to the public. They could be your neighbour, relative, or a stranger in line with you at the shops.

For safety and legal reasons, this member of the AFP’s tactical response team can only be referred to as “Operator 322”.

Their job only involves high-risk incidents, such as rescuing a hostage, arresting violent offenders, or intercepting a target vehicle, not only in the ACT, but across Australian jurisdictions and overseas.

“En route to a critical incident, I focus on what my goal is and how I can achieve that safely and to the highest degree. I rely on the extensive training I have undergone. It has prepared me to remain composed and respond appropriately to a high-risk threat.”

The member added: “We are expected to make the best decisions with information available at the time. Often, we are scrutinised for years for our actions. We are humans and we can make mistakes, however, we are always striving to learn from them and be better.”

In 2020, they were among four members awarded certificates for putting their lives on the line and rescuing a person who tried to self-immolate in their home with all of them inside.

As part of a special four-person crew – alongside a doctor, pilot, and aircrew officer – flight paramedic Jess Wilson delivers critical care to regional NSW and the ACT’s most isolated areas.

Whether responding to remote farming accidents, water rescues, or retrieving injured bushwalkers from Kosciuszko National Park, her ultimate focus is safety, stabilisation, and rapid transport.

Ms Wilson is no stranger to breath work, which she uses to calm her nervous system and mentally rehearses medical procedures en route to a patient.

“There’s a saying that in a crisis you don’t rise to the occasion – rather that you fall back to your level of training – and I think that’s very true in emergency medicine,” she says.

She adds that entering a stranger’s life during a crisis creates an immediate, profound human connection built entirely on mutual trust.

Ms Wilson also wishes more people would understand the harsh reality of occupational violence, firmly stating that aggression should never be dismissed as “just part of the job” for healthcare workers who simply want to help and return home safely to their families.

As an SES volunteer and deputy commander, Sharon Nelson’s diverse skill set is put to use wherever Canberra, or the country, needs it most.

Her local responsibilities range from storm and flood repairs to working with the Australian Federal Police for missing persons searches.

During interstate crises, she deploys immediately, working as an aviation radio operator during bushfires or managing base camps to support front-line firefighters.

While she is highly trained in physical disaster management, Ms Nelson says that some of the most impactful work involves simply providing an empathetic ear to vulnerable community members.

She recounts a poignant deployment when her team cleared a fallen tree from the home of a recently widowed woman who was too isolated by grief to leave her house.

“I spent a long time talking to her at the front door while the rest of the team got on with the job … She teared up, thanked me for listening and handed me a bunch of crocheted flowers. That stuck with me, it didn’t take a lot of effort for me to stand with her that day, but she appreciated it so much,” Ms Nelson said.

Nelson’s 10 years of dedicated service have earned her widespread recognition, including the 2024 SES Commendation for Exemplary Service, the National Emergency Medal, and the ACT Emergency Medal.

As a police officer embedded in the Police, Ambulance, Clinician Early Response (PACER) team, First Constable Emily Nuttall handles the delicate balance of physical protection and mental health support.

She works alongside a paramedic and a mental health clinician, to manage the safety of her team, the individual in distress, and the broader public.

When racing toward an emergency, First Constable Nuttall focuses on preparing for the unknown by reviewing risk histories with her team. She stays grounded under pressure by leaning on her colleagues and keeping perspective on the person she is helping.

“What keeps me focused is remembering that I have a team of trained individuals supporting me and I am there to help someone who is often experiencing the worst day of their life.”

She says policing in Canberra involves responding to mental health incidents reported every day and not just to specialist teams like PACER. The core role for her is about de-escalation, ensuring vulnerable people get linked with immediate care, and leading with compassion.

The first constable takes immense pride in her team’s positive community impact and says her ultimate motivation is the informal feedback commending her empathetic and understanding approach to the job.

As a mental health clinician with the PACER team, Ray Lynes’ main goal is assessing risk during crises, focusing heavily on safety, welfare, and securing a “least restrictive care outcome where possible.”

When heading to an emergency, he builds his team’s cohesiveness by discussing the referral details with his colleagues to anticipate what they will find on scene.

Mr Lynes relies on honesty, rapport, and an empathetic approach to de-escalate volatile situations, though he notes that involuntary hospital transport is sometimes necessary to keep the individual safe.

“During high pressure situations I find it is important to remain calm and show an awareness and understanding of the person’s situation.”

While acknowledging the role can be challenging, Lynes finds deep fulfillment when families and individuals express gratitude for the team’s intervention.

“It is rewarding to receive positive feedback from the person or a family member about the presence of PACER and the outcome of the contact.”

With over 20 years of experience, Mate Peric operates under a clear, foundational mandate – protecting life, property, and the environment.

En route to an incident, he meticulously calculates immediate hazards, resource requirements, and multi-agency support logistics, staying ready to think outside the box if initial resource requests cannot be met.

Under extreme pressure, he relies on a mix of experience, feedback, and strict adherence to standard operating procedures to keep his crew safe.

“The risks we take is determined by what we are saving.”

Mr Peric notes that while the public mainly associates his uniform with fighting fires, their modern operational capabilities span a massive spectrum.

This includes specialised rescues, hazardous materials management, civil development planning, vehicle design, and visiting over 90 schools annually for fire safety education.

He also sheds light on a silent hazard of the job – regular exposure to unavoidable toxic environments, which demands a high personal dedication to long-term health and wellbeing.

Though he has earned several service awards over his career, Peric admits he has never actually collected them, finding all the fulfillment he needs simply by “knowing that I’m in a profession which has felt right from day one.”

“The things that continually stay with me is the camaraderie and positive workplace culture. They far outweigh anything else. Here in the ACT and wherever I have travelled for work, there’s a welcoming and supportive bond among firefighters which carries through,” he says.

As a specialist in managing in high-stakes recovery operations, Senior Constable Griffiths is often confronted with challenging environmental conditions in his line of work.

He co-ordinates searches for missing people, and rescues for injured individuals trapped in remote terrain, alpine locations, and elevated environments.

“I work through the situation in a calm, methodical way, concentrating on the task at hand instead of the chaos around me that we sometimes face,” he says.

While rescue teams always strive for a positive resolution, Senior Constable Griffiths acknowledges the sobering reality of working on the front lines of remote emergency response.

He says dealing with tragic outcomes is an inevitable aspect of the job that leaves a lasting impression on responders.

“While we always hope for the best, there are times when the outcome isn’t what anyone wants. That’s part of the reality we face … Those experiences stay with me, but they also reinforce why the work matters so much.”

As a police drone pilot, Constable Nathan Kennedy serves as a critical asset during fast-moving crises.

His role in during any emergency is to navigate the skies safely and lawfully to deliver real-time intelligence to front-line crews, helping them track suspects, spot hidden hazards, and trace missing persons.

The constable says the true value of the technology comes alive during multi-agency search and rescue missions, where aerial views radically speed up ground coverage.

“From above, we act as the ‘eyes in the sky’ for front-line officers and other emergency services, to help locate suspects, missing persons or emerging hazards,” he says.

For Constable Kennedy, the most rewarding aspect of the job is how this cutting-edge tool plugs into a much larger, deeply human community effort to protect vulnerable people.

“The drone is just one tool in these operations … It is a privilege to contribute to these operations where everyone in the community wants the same result.”