'Benjamin Gilmour has been a paramedic for the past twenty years. He has seen his fair share of drama. But the summer of 2008 remains etched in his memory for the very worst reasons.
'In this riveting memoir, Gilmour recounts the call-outs that summer: some dangerous, some gruesome, some downright ridiculous. And we meet fellow paramedic John who, they say, can get a laugh out of everyone except the dead. As the city heats up that summer, however, even John begins to lose his sense of humour. People are unravelling – and Benjamin and John are no exception.
'The Gap is a vivid portrait of the lead-up to Christmas; an unflinching, no-holds-barred look at what happens after the triple-zero call is made – the drugs, nightclubs, brothels, drunk rich kids, billionaires, domestic disputes, the elderly, emergency births, even a kidnapping. Patients share their innermost feelings, and we witness their loneliness, their despair and their hopes.
'Beautifully written and sharply observed, The Gap exposes the fragility of our lives and the lengths the paramedics will go to to try to save us.'
Source: Publisher's blurb.
'Poll after poll put paramedics at the top of the list of most trusted professions in Australia, closely followed by firefighters, nurses and doctors. But in saving our lives these first responders are often sacrificing their own. Shift work, long hours, violent assaults, the emotional stress of dealing with death and grief on an almost daily basis take a toll on their physical and mental health.' (Introduction)
'Poll after poll put paramedics at the top of the list of most trusted professions in Australia, closely followed by firefighters, nurses and doctors. But in saving our lives these first responders are often sacrificing their own. Shift work, long hours, violent assaults, the emotional stress of dealing with death and grief on an almost daily basis take a toll on their physical and mental health.' (Introduction)
