Ever since Malcolm Moss has been an adult, he has dedicated his time to helping others through the emergency services.
In 2002, at the age of 18, he was a volunteer firefighter on the Gold Coast before joining Queensland Ambulance and eventually becoming a qualified Paramedic in 2005.
Following his transition into the workforce, his life became about assisting those in need, both at his day-to-day job and on weekends through his passion of motorsport.
It wasn’t until 2013, when he joined Motorsport Safety & Rescue (MSR), that he really started to spend time at the bigger events, which included Virgin Australia Supercars Championship events, Motorsport Australia Targa Championship rounds and rallies at club, state, national and international level.
Now, having moved to the Apple Isle and working as a Career Intensive Care Paramedic with Ambulance Tasmania, the 35-year-old has been able to share his passion for motorsport with his whole family.
“I always enjoyed motorsport growing up, but it wasn’t until I got older that I really started to embrace it – especially the grassroots aspect because I like to do it with my father and kids, who really love it,” Moss said.
“I have done quite a lot of rally events, but since I transferred to Tasmania, I have also been doing circuit events such as Supercars, Baskerville Raceway events and a lot of sprints.
‘The work of a paramedic lends itself to motorsport because more often than not, you don’t know what’s coming next. The transition is really easy and fits so well because you are waiting around until something happens and when it does, you have to respond instantly and do your job as quick as you can.
“I really enjoy being part of the MSR family too. We’re really close and it’s like you’re hanging out with your family instead of just doing medical stuff at an event.
“MSR also does a lot of rural events, like rally, which are more intense because each of the emergency units are made up of just one medical officer and one fire and rescue officer and you’re alone, 40km into a stage. It’s very much like real life as a paramedic, which is where I feel more comfortable.”
Despite Moss having a forced break from the sport due to COVID-19, he has been busier than ever part of Tasmania’s fight against the pandemic.
While not assigned to the frontline himself, he has been put in charge of Ambulance Tasmania’s COVID-19 response strategy - a job where he has been able to witness the state’s healthy attitude to beating the disease.
“People in Tassie have been brilliant. Everyone has heeded the message and done what they can. They’ve stayed inside and we’re very lucky to be on an island state,” Moss explained.
“My job at the moment is working with Ambulance Tasmania and directing the Coronavirus response team and while I am more office bound, the team and myself have been busier than usual making sure we are on top of everything.
“I think we are on the home straight though. We are very lucky and speaking for just Tasmania, we are down to a limited number of cases within the state. I envisage more restrictions should be lifted in the next couple of months and we could be travelling interstate again.
“Hopefully we can keep it under control, but it’s important to not get complacent.”