Tumut station manager John Larter said NSW Ambulance are refusing to provide their staff with uniform appropriate for attending medical situations in the mountains and snowfields.

“We just get issued with a standard uniform, which is the same uniform that they get issued with in Byron Bay, it doesn't allow for the work that we do in this area,” he said. “We don’t even have waterproof boots.” 

Previous snow boots, thermals and jackets were more than two decades old, and gave out last year. Mr Larter said he has decided to go against an organisation gag on the issue after trying to order new gear this year and being told they were no longer an option. 

Paramedics based in Tumut, Batlow and Tumbarumba now face the unenviable situation of going out in below freezing weather attired in just a poly-blend jacket and shirt, as they are also forbidden from wearing non-uniform items.

“The reality is something is going to happen, we are going to be out in the snow for several hours with a very sick patient,” Mr Larter said. “I’ve been in situations up in a blizzard where you can’t even see 20 feet in front of you – we are being put at risk.” 

To add insult, Mr Larter said his paramedics are not given access to special operations training, which teaches how to respond to difficult to reach patients. 

“We can’t be trained in that because that’s a Sydney-centric thing,” he said. “You can be in Hurstville and get it, but you can’t be in Tumut where I could go to a bushwalker and spend six hours in the bush.”

A NSW Ambulance spokesperson confirmed a request for winter uniform clothes had been received, however, a decision was yet to be made.  The spokesperson also said country paramedics could apply for special operations training at some regional locations, but did not confirm whether Tumut was one of them.