When you're in an emergency, the very first people who'll try to help when you phone triple-zero could be sitting at an office right here in Ballarat.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The calltakers and dispatchers at ESTA in Mount Helen are part of the team which keeps the rest of Victoria's emergency services rolling, and deserve a special shout-out for Thank A First Responder Day, which is Wednesday, June 9.
Ambulance calltaker Vicki Harper joined ESTA about 12 months ago, after a career as a nurse in emergency departments.
READ MORE: New ESTA podcast highlighting 000 heroes
"It's very challenging, but very rewarding," she said.
"When the opportunity to go to ESTA came along, I thought this is one way that I can still be in that emergency field and help people - it's a completely different role, but still in that emergency field, which I like.
"I'd worked in emergency departments for a long time, but before I moved to Ballarat, I didn't actually know who was on the other end of the triple-zero calls, and I don't think people are aware we're the unit that takes the calls - it doesn't matter who you are, you can be a calltaker across all the services from any walk of life."
Every worker on the call centre floor has had a call that's stuck with them, from helping deliver babies over the phone to helping direct firefighters during the Black Saturday fires.
For Ms Harper, she remembers staying on the phone to a hiker lost in the bush and locking in on their exact location for rescuers.
"They'd had a seizure and they were disoriented, with no idea where they were," she said. "I was on that call with that person until help arrived, they found them where I'd pinpointed them."
Almost every triple-zero phone call to ESTA involves someone having the worst day of their life - traumatic accidents and fires, health emergencies, or terrifying crimes.
Ms Harper said the key to getting through them all - and making sure the person at the other end of the line gets the help they need - is having a good team behind you.
IN THE NEWS
"It's one of the most supportive workplaces I've ever worked at," she said.
"If you have a call that gets to you a bit, you can just log out for a few minutes and take a breath, and there's always someone there if you have questions.
"We're the absolute first people to talk to people who are in an emergency - it's pretty special."
Have you signed up to The Courier's variety of news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in Ballarat.
