Specialist and dedicated First Responder Lawyers

First Responders are people with specialised training and are among the first to arrive and provide assistanceat the scene of an emergency such as an accident. They typically include law enforcement officersandparamedicssuch as ambulance officers and firefighters.

We recognise the challenges facing First Responders and their susceptibility to injury in the workplace as a result of undertaking their duties be it physical or psychological. Being a First Responder exposes people to risks at work not necessarily faced by the general public.There are special circumstances involved in assisting a First Responder when they have been injured in a workplace accident(including traffic accidents while traveling to or from an emergency) or are suffering psychological trauma following their exposure to an incident at work.

Information available to Australia’s First Responders’ Foundation the AF RF indicates that

1. 33% of volunteer emergency First Responders and 39% of career emergency First Responders will experience a mental health issue in their lifetime
2. 6% of volunteer First Responders and 35% of career First Responders will have thoughts of suicide in comparison to 2% of the general population.

We have also noted that sadly statistically an emergency service worker will take their own life in Australia every 4.3weeks. it is essential that the challenges Facing First Responders are recognised and that appropriate treatment and compensation is obtained when an incident occurs, and we would be happy to assist in this area.

First Responders are encouraged to contact us to discuss any incident in which they have been involved or any workplace issue they might be confronted withas we will be happy to provide compensation advice in this specialised area.