Burnout, Betrayal, and Bureaucracy

From paramedics to police, first responders are battling more than emergencies — they’re fighting their own system.

By Michael Newman

In times of natural disasters or personal crises, the bravery and selflessness of our first responders is truly admirable. However, when those that serve end up with their own emergencies, who is looking after them?

Upon analysis of the People Matter Employment Surveys (PMES) within the NSW Police, NSW Ambulance, Fire & Rescue NSW (FRNSW), and the Rural Fire Service (RFS) over the last decade, the internal mood with respect to senior management from within these institutions has been noticeably declining — with the outlier being the NSW State Emergency Service (SES).

In 2016, officers in the NSW Police positively rated “senior leadership effectively manage change” at 32 percent. In 2024, this had slumped to 20 percent. In terms of “selecting capable people,” just one-third thought this was being done effectively, and only one-third of police officers thought “senior management listen to employees.” Not surprisingly, recommending their organisation as a “great place to work” fell from 53 percent to 39 percent respectively.

Between 2012 and 2021, the actual numbers in the NSW Police force tracked authorised hires relatively closely. Despite getting the budget to lift the headcount, in 2024 the actual police force was 2,119 short of a possible headcount of 18,371. Almost 10 percent of the active force resigned in 2024. Why the sharp decline?

In 2024, the NSW Police Association announced the removal of the NSW Police Blue Ribbon Insurance (PBRI) Scheme and the Total and Permanent Disability (TPD).

Within two weeks of the announcement, over 200 NSW Police went off work — at a time when 1,362 officers were already on long-term sick leave. This naturally put even more strain on operations.

With only 33 percent believing they were fairly compensated in 2024 (slumping from 61 percent in 2016), the government was forced to push through a 19 percent pay rise over four years and grant senior officers a $5,400 leadership retention payment.

There can be no doubt that police officers are subject to a very confronting work environment, ranging from dealing with domestic violence and fatal traffic accidents to organised crime — as well as endangering their own lives in the line of duty.

On the back of the insurance changes, the “Emerge & See” app saw a 620 percent jump in users seeking free, confidential peer support and resources to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other issues.

The NSW Ambulance data is even more dire. In 2016, paramedics positively rated senior leadership’s effectiveness in managing change at a paltry 23 percent. In 2024, this had slumped to an anaemic 14 percent. In terms of “selecting capable people,” only one-quarter thought this was being done effectively. Only 29 percent think they are being paid fairly, and only a third of paramedics would recommend the organisation as a place to work.

Violence against paramedics has been a growing problem. Between 2011 and 2021, over 3,400 incidents of abuse, aggression or violence were reported, leading to a trial of body-worn cameras. Tragically, in 2024, one paramedic was fatally stabbed, leading to trials of protective vests. Paramedic suicide rates are alarmingly at 14.3 per 100,000 people — 40 percent higher than the general workforce.

The US National Institute of Health reported that a systematic review of 27 international studies on the mental health impacts on paramedics estimated prevalence rates of 11 percent for PTSD, 15 percent for depression, 15 percent for anxiety, and 27 percent for general psychological distress. A larger Canadian study of almost 6,000 first responders found that 44.5 percent screened positive for clinically significant symptoms of one or more diagnosable mental disorders. Ambulance personnel have reported they feel abandoned by management, having insufficient time to debrief and seek support. No wonder only 17 percent of NSW paramedics in 2024 thought “senior management listen to employees.”

One NSW Ambulance paramedic said, “There are differences between metro and regional… Why, you ask? Because we are so far away from the bureaucratic bullshit. But it’s creeping… we have a service full of ‘yes’ men that won’t rock the boat of their managers’ agenda. It’s hard to find a good manager these days that is out for the welfare and wellbeing of the core group… those survey results could be much worse for managers as well… I’ve seen a real shift over the past two decades and it’s not on a great trajectory.”

Similarly, both FRNSW and RFS hold dim views on the effectiveness of senior executives in managing change. In 2016, positive scores were 34 percent and 33 percent respectively. In 2024, these had fallen to 22 percent and 15 percent. Only 29 percent of our firefighters feel they are adequately remunerated — a figure 23 percent lower than in 2016. The ratings on the selection of capable people were also discouraging, at 33 percent in both services.

Thirty percent of FRNSW staff noted they had been aware of misconduct in 2023. Thirty-one percent in the RFS had witnessed bullying. Could this be why volunteer firefighters have fallen from a peak of 76,319 in 2019 to less than 71,000 in 2024? The volunteer RFS firefighters’ own website wrote they “have been distancing themselves from the bureaucracy” and “choosing to do their own thing.” The average age of the firefighting fleet is running at twice that of the FRNSW, and ill-conceived procurement decisions have only added to the frustration.

The addition of a Boeing 737 Large Air Tanker (LAT) for the RFS is a good example. The irony is that the converted passenger jet can only operate out of four airports in NSW, severely limiting its effectiveness between dumps. That is less than one percent of all airports in NSW. How can that be? Despite warnings, many local governments dismissed RFS concerns that rural landing strips for light aircraft would be rendered useless to the tanker by the ill-considered prioritisation of wind-farm construction in the way of active flight corridors. The ineptitude speaks for itself.

So why has the SES managed to show starkly different results? Since 2016, effective change management has jumped from 13 percent to 29 percent last year. Capable hiring scored 50 percent, up from 27 percent in 2016. Perhaps this is why senior management listening scores also sharply increased — from 17 percent to 40 percent. While still far from ideal, they are pointing in the right direction. How has this come about?

Put simply, an executive restructure has been a contributing factor. The SES has trimmed the number of reporting layers to no more than three levels below the secretary. This has led to transparency in terms of pay, career progression, and internal support. Wellbeing for all SES members has been a focus. This has come about by transitioning from a staff-only Employee Assistance Program to a new Member Assistance Program, which provides ongoing support not only to first responders but also volunteers and their immediate family members. No surprise that almost three-quarters of those employed by the SES in 2023 recommended it as a good place to work.

What is apparent from these data points is that, other than the SES, the public is being poorly served by those — through no fault of the rank and file — ultimately responsible for their safety.

Which begs the question: why haven’t senior bureaucrats in charge of those first responders collaborated on ways to implement best practice, rather than waste taxpayer dollars on a revolving door of media spin doctors to cover up their incompetence?

Until these serious shortcomings are addressed, recruitment and retention are likely to suffer, meaning fewer resources being available on the frontline — resulting in the public being exposed to unnecessary and unacceptable risks. Our first responders deserve far better. So do we.

Michael Newman has four decades of business experience in North Asia and served as NSW’s Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner to the region.

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