"The problem has always been that there is a culture of bullying and an ‘old boys club’ within the ambulance service,” he said. 

"Often it is not overt, it is covert bullying, lots of little things over time,” the man said.

He alleged the incidents were made even more distressing by a lack of support available and by victims being further harassed and silenced by outdated management approaches when they did speak up.

The paramedic spoke to The Area News on the condition of anonymity, saying if the ambulance service knew he had done so it would cost him his career.

“There is a fear among ambos of saying anything because the ambulance service operates on a culture of bullying, intimidation and fear and will very strongly protect its public image at all costs,” he said.

With trauma already part of a paramedic’s job description, the man said a volatile work environment made the horrors they saw on the job even harder to bear.

“We remember places not by virtue, of ‘yeah my kids were on that swing’ (but as) that’s where somebody hanged themselves,” he said.

“I remember that corner not because I drive past it every day, but because three kids died there when a drunk driver hit them. 

“We tried to cut them out for four or five hours but they all died in there.

"With all of that, why does your time in the job have to be absolutely crap as well?" 

In a statement, NSW Ambulance said there had been no instances of bullying referred to their Professional Standards Unit regarding staff at Griffith over the past 12 months and only one instance of bullying had been referred from across the wider Riverina during that time period.

The statement said since joining NSW Ambulance in February, chief executive Dominic Morgan had from the outset made his focus on addressing any issues surrounding the mental health and well-being of front line staff.

NSW Ambulance said in recent years they had increased support for all staff including employing two full-time trauma psychologists and engaging more peer support officers.

A 2015 NSW Health survey of more than 1800 paramedics found 74 per cent said they were treated with respect by their line manager, but only 41 per cent said their workplace had a positive culture, and just 26 per cent said there was a positive relationship between senior management and staff.