Helen Maddison Coaching

The Silent Killer of Ambulance Crew: Happens After the Sirens Stop

Ever wonder what happens to a paramedic’s and ambulance staff's bodies after years of rushing into chaos, lifting patients, and fighting to save lives in impossible situations? Let me tell you, it doesn’t retire gracefully.

Knees that buckled under stretchers for decades scream in pain. Backs give out from endless lifting, twisting, and bending, often with little regard for proper posture when seconds meant the difference between life and death. Shoulders are literally worn down to the bone. And those aren’t the worst scars.

The sleepless nights, the endless adrenaline dumps, and the trauma witnessed don’t just disappear. They sit heavy on your chest long after you’ve hung up your uniform. The anxiety doesn’t turn off. The flashbacks still hit.

Many paramedics and ambulance crew don’t get to enjoy retirement. The career eats away at their bodies and minds so much that by the time they can rest, it’s already too late. Some never live long enough to spend the pension they earned. Others spend their golden years in doctor’s offices, on operating tables, or in physical therapy trying to fix what couldn’t be avoided.

It’s not just a job. It’s a sacrifice, one that doesn’t end when the last shift does.

So if you know a crew thank them. If you are one, take care of yourself while you still can. Because this job might save lives, but it takes pieces of you in return.

We don’t talk about this enough. Maybe it’s time we do.

This……… 🙏🏻🫶🏼

🧠✨ Dr David Grand, Founder of Brainspotting reminds us that healing isn’t just about what we know - it’s about how we feel, even when it’s beneath the surface.

We don’t always need words to heal, Brainspotting therapy meets you where language can’t. it’s about present, attunement and honouring the quiet places where healing begins. 🧘‍♂️🍃

🌐 Discover more at BSPUK.UK

They call it PTSD.
I call it…
spicy déjà vu.

'Cause it's not just memories,
nah.
It’s smelling smoke when there’s no fire,
tasting blood in your dreams,
hearing CPR counts over your coffee.

1 in 5 of us live it.
30% carry it in silence.
Statistics dress up the pain
real clinical-like.
But trauma?
Trauma don't do tidy.

Feels like four hundred calls a month,
every one a new ghost
to stuff in your pockets.
And you carry them.
Every. Single. Day.

We joke to stay alive.
"Another jumper."
"Another O.D."
"Another kid."
Laughter like duct tape
on a bleeding heart.

We file the paperwork.
We reset the stretcher.
We pretend
we’re fine.

But that spicy déjà vu creeps in,
uninvited.
At 2am.
At the school run.
In bed.
In line at Tesco.
Like: "Surprise, remember that night in '09?"

We try to leave.
God knows we try.
But the guilt?
It’s got gravity.
Like maybe if we stay,
we’ll save just one more.

So we climb back in.
Key in the ignition.
Heart on standby.
And roll.

To the next crash.
The next overdose.
The next scream.
The next silent whisper of a life
we won’t forget.

This is the cost of care.
This is what the public never sees.
This is the boo boo bus,
and the ones who drive it
through hell with a smile.

So next time you see us staring blank,
know we’re just haunted.
Just tired.
Just riding with a ghost or two.

It’s not you.
It’s that spicy déjà vu.

Baggy (circa 2012)

I sadly wish this was a one off, our emergency services are only trying to help and are subject to violence an verbal abuse often on a daily basis….

"Today's decision shows assaults on emergency workers won't be tolerated. We feel heard, and we need strong consequences to keep our staff safe."

A man arrested for assaulting an ambulance worker on Christmas Day last year has been sentenced today at Newcastle Magistrates Court. He received a 12-week custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months and was ordered to pay compensation, after pleading guilty at Newcastle Crown Court earlier this year.

Whilst trying to care for others on 25 December 2025, a NEAS sole responder was returning to station in her rapid response car when she came across a person sat alone in the middle of the Moor Farm roundabout on the A19 in Northumberland. She stopped to help out of concern.

Read more on our website: https://www.neas.nhs.uk/news-and-events/latest-news/sentence-assault-north-east-ambulance-service-paramedic

Today, we pause to recognize National Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Su***de Awareness Day.
We remember the EMS professionals we have lost, while raising awareness and reminding every warrior in uniform that help is always within reach.

If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out:

📱 Crisis Text Line: Text BLUE to 741741 for free, 24/7 confidential support.

☎️ National Su***de Prevention Lifeline: Call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or visit su***depreventionlifeline.org

🌐 1st Help: A searchable database of emotional, financial, and spiritual assistance for first responders: https://1sthelp.org

🧡 Warriors Heart: A private, accredited treatment program serving exclusively warriors, military, veterans, and first responders, who are struggling with addiction, PTSD, and other invisible wounds.
Call 855-610-1003 or visit warriorsheart.com

Thank you to First Help for continuing to lead the way in supporting our EMS professionals and first responders.

To all EMS warriors: you are never alone. Your life matters. 💜

***deAwarenessDay

🌷 As a first responder, you’re always there for others. But don’t forget to be there for yourself too, it’s all too easy to tackle the day job and push your own feelings aside or box them up or stay busy being busy….

Brainspotting can be a vital self-care tool, helping you overcome trauma and restore your inner balance. Your well-being matters. 💖

What other tools do you have for self-care?

Walking my dogs allows me to take time out (unless they decide to take themselves off over the field - I have two springers!!), and spending time outside and in nature, proper tome out with my daughter - not just time over a rushed tea or as we pass in the house, but a day out away from the ‘normal stuff’, sometimes crap TV is what’s needed!!

We all have our go to’s, but its so important to take time for you in busy stressful lives, its not selfish - its self preservation and vitally important,,,

What’s one small thing you can do today to give you a tiny bit of time for yourself??

H x

Trauma informed coaching……..

What are the benefits? Well some of them are listed below, but what does a trauma informed coaching ‘really’ do??

So, we can help with all the things below, and we also work at the speed of your nervous system to minimise the chance of you being re-traumatised, we follow your lead ensuring you work on the things you would like to work on, we can work on things from the past but also things for the future, we continue to work on ourselves both personally and professionally to bring you the best support we can, and we recognise that everyone has their own individual requirements so treat you as an individual 🥰

If you’re interested in working with me please drop me a message.

H x

Did you know trauma affects your brain? 🤔

If trauma isn’t processed crrectly at the time, or isn’t effectively ‘time stamped’ by our brains 🧠 then it can be the cause of triggering panic attacks, anxiety and even the PTSD…. Our brain can think something is a direct threat to us know - even when it happened years ago and our logic knows that…..

Want to know more? Wondering how this could be affecting you?

Drop me a message and we can have a brief chat.

H x

Does all therapy help?? An interesting question……🤔

Therapy should not be a one size fits all thing….. we al have different needs, different backgrounds and different things going on….. why would the same thing work for everyone when by the whole nature of being human we are all individuals…. And sometimes therapy or coaching can actually re-traumatise….

As a somatic trauma informed coach I absolutely get this and massively agree. Working with me you get your own truely bespoke coaching, dealing with the things YOU want to deal with, lead by YOU and at a pace that YOUR nervous system can cope with - and that is very much not the same for everyone.

If you would like to know more, please drop me a message or book a call via my website.

I would be truly privileged to support you on your healing journey.

H x

Recognising and supporting someone with MH problems can be difficult, however that help and support can do more than you ever realise….

To know, even at the hardest time in your life, that someone genuinely cares can be amazing 🥰

Never underestimate the importance of being kind ❤️

H x

Amen…….. `let’s build a world where Employees come first ❤️

H x

This shocks and worries me….. at a time where we are having more su***des reported from our Emergency SErvices 😢. Having lost personal colleagues to su***de, one of my aims is to make sure they haven’t lost their lives in vain and the mental health of emergency services and armed forces personnel is taken seriously 🥰

These violent incidents against Ambulance Staff are the ones which are actually reported by staff.. and I know not every incident is reported……. I personally have not reported every time I have been shouted at, spat at, or been hit or threatened……. And this doesn’t include the incidents our control room staff put up with on a daily basis on the phones… 😢

And what are these staff actually trying to do other than help????

Violence against Emergency Services needs to become unacceptable on every level, and we need to support our Emergency Services staff to be able to get the right help and support in dealing with these incidents and the aftermath they cause 🥰

H x