Samoan ambulance staff use language and culture to connect during emergencies

Wellington ambulance staff are using the Samoan language and cultural understanding to connect with the community.

Wellington Free Ambulance services the Wellington and Wairarapa regions and is the country's only free ambulance service.

Paramedic and Pasifika Heartbeat Tutor Kevin Vaeluaga says the job is a privilege and an eye-opener.

“You get to respond to people's medical needs and help them in the most dire situations, and if you are the person who loves to help and you're family-orientated and you can connect to people on a deeper and emotional level when you're helping them on an emergency level, then by all means this job is for you.”

Leulua’ialii Eseta is an Emergency Support Call taker at the communications centre.

Speaking to Inangaro Vakaafi on Pacific Days, Eseta says emotions can be heightened over the phone, but it helps when she’s able to use her cultural language to connect with the caller.

“I know when it's a Pacific Island family that is calling through, and it kinda calms them [when you speak] in your language.

“I can just say to them, ‘I'm Samoan, I can help you, you just need to stay calm’.”

Eseta says the easier it is for the operator to get the information, the quicker it will be for an ambulance to be organised.

Vaeluaga and Eseta are part of a team with six Pacific staff, but their roles took a turn after EFKS Hutt Valley held an event to connect the community with the local ambulance service.

Eseta says they realised more education and connection was needed with the community.

“They thought that we were owned by St John or they had to pay to go the to hospital and those are kind of the questions that kind of quickly got us thinking and we needed to do something about it.

“We thought why not give back to our community and use our roles that we do in Wellington Free, put it together and this is why we're here.”

Both now work as tutors for the Pasifika Heartbeat programme, sponsored by the Lloyd-Morrison Foundation, and were able to install an AED defibrillator at Newtown EFKS.

“We're going out to Pacifica communities and teaching them the basics of how to save a life”, says Vaeluaga, “and that's with CPR, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, chest compressions, and AED.

“These sessions allow us to create awareness in our community that we are here, that we are free, and that we are available for them 24-7.

“Hopefully they can put away the pride and call us whenever they need us, but also it helps teach them the fundamental basis of how to save a life.”

Watch the full interview on Island Time with Wellington Free Ambulance’s Kevin Vaeluaga and Leulua’ialii Eseta: