The fifth season of the popular show Paramedics is currently on our screens and is following 14 paramedics and two 000 call-takers from our very own South Australian Ambulance Service (SAAS), including Sally Njoroge.

Previously filmed and produced in Victoria for its first four seasons, Paramedics season five filmed in South Australia in 2023 with the support of the SA Film Corporation.

Sally has been with SAAS for the past 15 years and shares her story on the hit show of how she returned to university aged in her 30s, while at the same time raising four children, to pursue her dream of becoming a paramedic.

“I wanted to be a paramedic to help people, which sounds cliché, but it is a privilege to get to help people on often one of the worst days of their life,” she says.

Now a mum of five, Sally says her family, just like fans of the show, are "super proud" of her new-found fame.

“I get lots of random people introduce themselves to me at the gym or the supermarket and say, ‘Are you the paramedic that we’ve seen on that show’, which is strange but also really sweet,” Sally, who is Operations Team Leader of Adelaide Metro North, says.

“For me, being part of the show has been the best experience of my life – one of the most fatiguing experiences - but also one of the best.

Sally (pictured right with a patient) says it takes an extraordinary person to become a paramedic, but agreeing to be part of a documentary series requires a special kind of courage. 

“I love to push myself and go outside of my comfort zone, which is why I expressed my interest to be part of the show,” she says.

“One of the great things about being on the show too, is that my kids also get to see what I do at work.

“Obviously being a paramedic isn’t a job that you can take your kids to work with you, so this has really shown them what I do on a day-to-day basis.”

Sally says camera crews and production followed her, and the other paramedics, around for long days of filming, capturing unguarded minute-by-minute moments between them and their patients.

But there is one part of the show that is Sally’s favourite.

“I love the follow-ups with patients at the end of each show," she says.

"It’s a side of the job we never normally get to experience, but on the show, we get to film or see patient follow-ups and it’s the best gift.”

Through sharing her story and being part of the show, Sally has become a role model to many people - a title that she wears proudly.

“You’re never too late and never too old,” Sally says.

“I want to be a role model, not just for my children but for women and fathers, to show them that you can be a parent and you can also follow your dreams.”

“One of the great things about the show also is that it gives Australians an insight to the really high standard of care that we deliver to our patients – and that’s something we all should be proud of.”

Season 5 of Paramedics is currently airing on Channel 9 and 9Now on Mondays at 8.45pm.

To find out more about productions supported by the South Australian Film Corporation in our SA Made Showcase, highlighting feature film, television series, short film and documentary productions filmed, produced and/or post-produced in South Australia, as well as South Australian made video games visit https://www.safilm.com.au/showcase/