Paramedic Andy celebrates 40 years service on St John’s Day.
24 June 2025
Guernsey’s longest serving paramedic Andy Adam is celebrating 40 years of dedicated service to community this week.
Andy’s career with the St John Ambulance and Rescue Service began in 1985, starting on 24th June, which coincidentally is St John Day. After a period with the Patient Transfer Service, he trained as an Emergency Medical Technician and then studied to qualify as a paramedic. However, his association with St John started many years before as a youth member of the first aid charity. As a cadet he successfully represented the island in national competitions and later become an adult volunteer.
During his long career, Andy has been recognised for his consistent and dedicated support to the senior management team and his ongoing commitment to his work within the ambulance service. He was appointed as an Officer of the international Order of St John last year for his outstanding service.
Andy said: “As a St John Cadet, attending first aid competitions throughout the UK I knew I had found my calling, then stepping through the station doors as a full-time member of the professional service was the beginning of a journey I could never have fully imagined.
“It has been a varied and rewarding career, albeit not over yet. The profession has changed dramatically, we’ve seen advances in training, equipment, and clinical care, alongside a significant increase in call volume and complexity. But what has remained constant is the strength and support of the team around me. We’ve stood side by side through good times and difficult ones, and that camaraderie has made the journey possible. We’re more than colleagues we’re an extended family. It’s been an honour and a privilege to serve this community, and I’m proud to still be part of something so meaningful.”
Andy is a hugely respected team leader and has been a Paramedic Station Officer for more than twenty years, he continues to be an active operational paramedic, responding to medical emergencies on a daily basis. He has been responsible for all major incident training within the ambulance service and also oversees the Volunteer Ambulance Reserves, ensuring a high level of resilience and support in the event of significant or major incidents.
During his career Andy has served as a principle to the cliff rescue team and hyperbaric chamber team. He worked on the Flying Christine and the Inshore Rescue Boats and also provided valuable paramedic support to Sark and was deployed to Alderney to offer experienced leadership and guidance during a challenging period for the island’s ambulance service, helping to strengthen local provision and restore confidence. Andy is very flexible and always willing to step in to support areas that are over and above his required commitments. In the midst of the Covid pandemic Andy played a vital role in the vaccination programme and spent time working in the Emergency Department to give extra resilience.
Asked about his most rewarding moments, Andy said:
“A few notable moments would be achieving my paramedic registration, amongst the first in Guernsey; serving as both Hyperbaric decompression chamber Principal and Cliff Rescue Team Principal; receiving commendations from Chief Officers; facilitating Major Incident training exercises – and then recently being invested into the Order of St John and representing the Crown Dependencies at the VE Day procession in London earlier this year.
So, I am lucky to have had such an interesting and diverse career with the Ambulance Service.”
Chief Executive Officer of St John Ambulance and Rescue Service Mark Mapp said: “Andy marks an incredible milestone this St John Day—40 years of dedicated service to the ambulance profession. I’ve had the privilege of knowing Andy from the very start of my own career. As my former team leader, he was a valued mentor whose support and guidance helped shape my journey, as it has for so many others.
“It’s fitting that this anniversary falls on St John Day, as Andy truly lives the values of the Order: In the Service of Humanity, with respect and kindness, unselfishness, a commitment to modern, excellent care, and an openness to learn. He shows a deep devotion to helping others, promotes togetherness through shared values, and upholds diversity, inclusion, and the vision of our founders.
“With no immediate plans to step away, Andy continues to be a steady, inspiring presence—and we’re all the better for it.”
