In 2015, more than a year before the death of Damian Crump, an Ambulance Tasmania statewide manager forewarned of a paramedic suicide.
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In an email sent in June 2015 to Ambulance Tasmania's regional manager Craig Westlake, state operations duty manager Amanda Hutchinson wrote about the need for mental health support within the organisation.
She specifically was referring to the implementation of a peer-support program within the organisation.
"Let's not wait until we have a paramedic suicide, like other states, before something is done," she wrote.
Following that email, she said nothing was done regarding the suggestion, and it was not until years later that a peer-support program was offered to Ambulance Tasmania staff.
The self-confessed "mum-figure" of the team said she would often have employees come to her with mental health issues.
She said she had no formal training from the organisation in how to offer support for mental health, and in 2020 she personally attended and arranged, for herself, a mentor mental health training first aid course.
"I wanted to make sure I had more tools," she said.
"I think there should be a welfare program to assist managers and their staff above and beyond the peer support program, and additional training for managers to be able to support their staff.
"Sometimes [helping staff] comes at a lot of cost to myself and my family, but I will always make sure that I am available."
Ms Hutchinson also gave evidence about a work incident involving Mr Crump before his death that was "out of character" and which saw him stood down from work at her request.
"He was on the scene of an incident ... from what I could gather they had run off the road and he seemed frustrated and agitated by what had happened. He was quite abusive over the phone, which I had never experienced with him before," she said.
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"I found it incredibly confronting, and he was like just irrational, yelling at the phone at me, and I couldn't calm him down."
Ms Hutchinson said Mr Crump apologised to her afterwards, and on his return to work he was "Damian as always ... suitable for work and just very passionate".
She said she did not know if any support or follow-up occurred with Mr Crump, other than being stood down, but added that if there had been a peer-support program she would have made sure that someone was assigned to talk to him.
She described the current peer support program as being a bit "hit and miss" between Ambulance Tasmania's regional stations.
- For crisis support, call Lifeline 13 11 14
