THE first ever female paramedic to be stationed at Beaudesert and the former officer in charge of the Canungra Ambulance Station has been recognised for her stellar career in the QAS in the Kings Birthday Honours List.
Rachel Latimer, who has now progressed to be a senior operations supervisor on the Gold Coast, was awarded the Ambulance Service Medal (ASMs) for her dedication over more than 36 years.
Rachel joined the service in 1987 and was one of the first QAS female officers to complete Critical Care Paramedic training.
While she’s regarded as a trailblazer, she said gender was far from a deterrent.
Even as a senior manager within the organisation, Rachel she said she never lost sight of why she works at QAS.
“Since I started, I’ve only ever come to work to look after patients – that’s why I became a paramedic,” she said.
Rachel also worked as a registered nurse at both Logan and Gold Coast Hospitals in their Emergency Departments.
The QAS in acknowledging Rachel’s award said it also recognised her passion for education, training and mentoring of junior staff in the service.
Shadow Minister for Ambulance Services, Ros Bates MP posted on her social media a tribute to Rachel saying she had witnessed first hand her dedication and professionalism out on the road.
Rachel’s father was also an ambulance officer and like her his career spanned more than three decades.
Her citation praised Rachel for demonstrating extensive experience and exceptional leadership in disaster management and as a forward commander.
It went on to say she has been deployed to multiple disasters and events as a paramedic and frontline manager to guide and support paramedic teams including the 2010 Queensland floods and more recently the 2022 floods.
She was also key in establishing the Patient Safety Distribution Unit which oversees the coordination of QAS resources across Queensland to support staff welfare, integrate with Queensland Health and ensure the appropriate dynamic deployment of QAS resources to maintain service delivery and patient care to Queenslanders.
It included that she continued to be an inspiration and guiding light for women aspiring to leadership roles within the QAS.
