"Peter arrived at the command post sometime after 5pm, and police began explaining the scale of the slaughter. The number of deaths wasn't confirmed yet, they said, but it was unthinkably high."
"Rather than treat the physically wounded, Peter was there to support the volunteer ambulance service who were first on the scene. People needed to ventilate, and it was my job to listen."
"After I'd done my debriefings, the police said, 'You're not going anywhere. We've got crime scene walk-throughs to do, and you're gonna help us.' And so I did."
On 28 April 1996, Peter James, a paramedic on holiday, responded to the Port Arthur shooting by joining the critical incident stress debriefing team. He traveled to Hobart for briefing and then to a police command post near the site. Upon arrival, he learned of the high number of casualties and was tasked with supporting the volunteer ambulance service. Peter worked nearly 24 hours straight, assisting police with crime scene walk-throughs after completing debriefings for first responders.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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