It was in the 1970s when a young Bruce Tindale was glued to the popular US television drama Emergency, which followed Los Angeles paramedics on the job.
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A few episodes in, and he knew his calling. "It was a very groundbreaking show. I always knew I wanted to do something based on medical lines that had an element of outdoor excitement. That always appealed to me," he said.
The 59-year-old from Engadine has almost notched up 40 years of working as a paramedic for NSW Ambulance.
Mr Tindale wears two hats in the service, as an operational paramedic and as a volunteer chaplain, supporting his colleagues through difficult times.
He completed his first rescue course in 1986, and worked as a rescue paramedic until 2007, when he transferred to the Special Operations Team. After a decade on the team he returned to general duties in Sutherland Shire.
"Rescue is an interesting facet of ambulance work because it's not just about accessing the patient, but retrieving them from their situation," Mr Tindale said.
"Almost every time a paramedic is involved, there is some sort of logistical aspect in helping a patient. They may have collapsed behind a bathroom door. I've always enjoyed the technical aspect of the work."
No job is ever the same, he said. The biggest call-out in its tragic circumstances, was the Waterfall train crash in 2003.
"It was one of the most memorable jobs for Leader residents," Mr Tindale said. "I was the first person inside carriage one. It involved removing a lot of the infrastructure - the seats, to access people.
"It was a very long day. I was finishing night shift that morning when it happened. I didn't get home until three in the afternoon. It was about a 20 hour shift."
Aside from many jobs in the Royal National Park, unfortunately also, many car crashes.
"But we've seen cars evolve - motor vehicles were completely different in the 80s and 90s," Mr Tindale said. "With the advent of airbags and seatbelts, we don't see quite the severity and quantity of injuries that we once saw."
In 2002, Mr Tindale became the first paramedic to present the U Turn The Wheel young driver education program to high school students in Sutherland Shire. For about 20 years he was also heavily involved in a traffic offenders program that aimed to change the mindset of young drivers, and was on the steering committee of a motorcycle forum.
"I'm passionate about road safety," he said. "We've had a great tradition of trying to change attitudes to make an impact on the road toll."
But there are moments of joy. A baby being born, or another life being saved. "I've done work at The Gap, and to see a good resolution where somebody doesn't harm themselves, is always positive," he said.
"The beauty of paramedicine is that it isn't about you. It's about how you help other people. You go and do your best. Sometimes your best won't resolve the situation how you would like, but you're always trying to make it better. I find that rewarding."
Mr Tindale's other passion is supporting his peers during high moments of pressure, particularly relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2019, he became a chaplain for paramedics. He is one of about 60 volunteer, 24-hour on-call NSW Ambulance chaplains statewide. They also support families and victims of incidents.
"We are there just to support people, not to make them believe what we believe," Mr Tindale said.
"Paramedics are doing a very thankless job so we try to be a listening ear and have a caring response. We can't always fix what's wrong, but we can stand in the space with them, while officers are struggling."
All the talks of an ambulance 'crisis' in the past few years have certainly taken a toll on many, hard-working paramedics, he said.
"COVID-19 placed a great degree of unsustainable pressure on paramedics," Mr Tindale said. "I was able to assist in attempting to relieve some of that pressure through the ambulance chaplaincy by starting a soup kitchen. We visited hospitals including Sutherland and St George, where we delivered soup in my off duty hours to my colleagues to support them in what was a very difficult time.
"COVID-19 accelerated the pressure that was already on the health system. Thankfully some of that has eased. We remain at a level of pressure that has been acknowledged and we have to do the best we can with the resources we've got."
But retirement is on the horizon, with Mr Tindale officially signing off from duties in October 2023.
"I will finish up in December 2022, and I will have some leave right through to October, so that will make me 40 years door to door," he said.
"I think 40 years is a good innings. I'm not as young as I used to be. It's time to close the door on that part of my life. I'm ready to leave the night shifts for younger paramedics."
He looks forward to more family time, and getting to all the special occasions he missed.
"As a shift worker I've missed that over the years, so it will be nice to get to birthdays, anniversaries and Christmas again," Mr Tindale said.
"But I'll be looking at other ways to give back to the community and delving back into some of my artwork. Even when I stop working full time I will continue serving the ambulance in the chaplaincy role. I love what I do."
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