‘You must have compassion for people as a first responder’
“A first responder must be willing to work hard and long hours. You work weekends, holidays, evenings, Christmas and Easter. When everyone else are resting and having fun you are on standby and working.”
Cecile van der Nest, says that she decided to become an emergency worker after her children were born and she was able to attend SRQ Training Academy in Pretoria.
“I received my qualification in 2007 and am still registered with the HPCSA. Although I am not actively working at the moment, my qualification and registration enables me to apply for a position at any time,” she told Herald.
Emergency workers have been in the spotlight during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“You have to have a passion for people and compassion. You cannot doubt yourself and must be able to handle bad situations,” she said.
“Any person who dedicates their life to emergency work should really be invested for the right reasons, then you will never lose your compassion or sensitivity for your patients. In some circumstances where you are tested you remind yourself why you started doing this work in the first place and go back to basics.”
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One of her toughest experiences was a road accident where the car went over a cliff.
“On arrival it was clear that the vehicle was suspended mid-air held up by a couple of thin trees. I scanned the scene quickly to check the safety and started making my way down towards the cabin of the pickup. Trapped inside I found the driver and the passenger deceased.
The driver was in shock, alone and scared. “I knew that it was not safe for me to stay there because the trees could give way at any time and then the vehicle would take me with it as I was holding on to it.
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But looking into that eyes made me realise that I could not leave him. Through our conversation I kept praying.
“When I felt the cables hook onto the vehicle at the top I knew so much more about life and myself.”
Cecile says one particular incident she attended was hard to handle.
“I was working on a patient at a family gathering on a Sunday afternoon where all the loved ones were gathered around crying and praying. I was doing CPR, giving my very best for more than an hour. Then I heard my senior say we have to stop, there is nothing. Standing up from the ground, saying “I’m so sorry …” to their tear-filled eyes while waiting for the people from the mortuary to arrive, hit me harder than usual,” Cecile recalled.
She says trauma should never be taken lightly.
“Even if you feel as if the trauma has not affected you right away, I can almost guarantee that it is going to affect you someday. My advice is that anybody who has experienced trauma should go for counselling,” Cecile concluded.
