Elyse Price and Hannah Ham at a structure fire in 2024.
Caring for the community can take many forms and, for some people, caring comes in more ways than one.
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This is true of Murrumbidgee Local Health District’s Hannah Ham, who juggles her primary job with on-call firefighting for Fire + Rescue NSW.
Hannah has worked as a registered nurse and midwife in the maternity ward at Wagga Wagga Base Hospital for more than 10 years.
Despite living in Finley, more than 200km from Wagga, she says the travel is only a small hurdle to get over when she has so much love for her job.
“It didn’t take long for me to fall in love with the job,” Hannah said.
“People wonder how, or maybe why, I do it, but it’s easy doing things you love.
“The maternity team at Wagga Base Hospital are an incredible bunch; they’re inspiring, caring and good at what they do.
“It’s an extremely rewarding and interesting job; taking care of people in one of the biggest moments in their lives is an absolute privilege.”
As if working and supporting a family doesn’t make life busy enough, Hannah decided to take on another challenge in 2023, as a firefighter for FRNSW.
On top of her role as an on-call firefighter, she is also deputy captain and recruitment project officer, covering the towns of Finley, Jerilderie, Tocumwal, Deniliquin, Moama and Barham.
Hannah Ham at the Wagga Wagga Base Hospital maternity ward with a newborn baby.
“In 2023, the captain at the time asked my husband if he would like to join.
“My husband didn’t have the time, but I immediately thought that it sounded really exciting. I think I want to do that!
“So, 10 years after starting my midwifery career, I turned to firefighting. I love a challenge and firefighting seemed like a pretty unique opportunity in a small town to do something a bit wild.
“Like midwifery, you get to play a pretty special role. I’ve also really enjoyed the community aspect of it.”
Within the role, Hannah and her team respond to incidents and are responsible for station and truck maintenance.
They also attend fortnightly drill nights and participate in community safety and education activities.
Hannah says she couldn’t balance her responsibilities without support from her family and community.
“When you have a family with young kids, every decision you make and everything you commit to has a ripple effect on the people around you,” she said.
“My husband is incredibly supportive of all my endeavours and I’m lucky enough to have my family and my in-laws available to help with childcare.
“I think when you love what you do, when it is rewarding and meaningful, it's easier to manage it with personal life. It’s certainly a challenge, but I get a lot out of it too, so it works both ways.”
One of Hannah’s highlights as a firefighter is attending the Deni Ute Muster, where the team gets the opportunity to showcase what they do. She also admits that driving the fire truck is one of her favourite aspects.
With recruitment currently a challenge for many industries, Hannah is keen to bang the drum for both her employers.
“I’m so lucky to have two very fulfilling jobs,” she said.
“We spend a lot of our time on Earth in our employment, and life’s so precious, so if you’re feeling that maybe you’re missing out on something, consider joining New South Wales Health and FRNSW.”
Like Hannah, Finley Hospital RN Elyse Price also spends her spare time working for Fire + Rescue.
With 15 years as an RN under her belt, Elyse has worked at Finley Hospital for seven years and has been an on-call firefighter for the past 15 months.
Elyse explained her motivation for joining the ranks.
“I was looking for something that would challenge me physically and mentally and as I was born in Finley, I was happy to give something back to the community that I was raised and work in,” she said.
Elyse Price is a nurse a Finley Hospital, and an on-call firefighter.
“I loved my phase training that I completed with Fire + Rescue in February last year. I had the opportunity to go to Albion Park for my training, which included two days at the Emergency Services Academy in Sydney, which was an amazing experience.”
Elyse said advanced rostering for her nursing allows her to organise her time and balance her roles.
“Finley Hospital is only a small site, and sometimes I am the only nurse in the hospital for a shift, meaning I can’t always leave if we do get a call out.
“If we have the staff to cover, then management has supported me in being able to attend emergency calls whilst on shift.
“Regarding managing with my family and personal life, this can sometimes be difficult with three children, but we have a great crew in Finley and have found that communication is key with keeping our station at the required level of on-call firefighters.”
In the 2023-2024 financial year, the Finley branch responded to 46 callouts.
Elyse described her work with FRNSW as “extremely rewarding”.
“I have loved my time to date and especially enjoy the unique opportunities that present themselves,” she said.
“If you are considering a career with Fire + Rescue, then go for it. The camaraderie among the crew is a fantastic feeling.”
To explore opportunities at FRNSW, visit https://www.fire.nsw.gov.au/recruitment. For job vacancies at MLHD, visit https://jobs.health.nsw.gov.au/mlhd.
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