Making every call count – the State Control Centre’s year in review 

It was another mammoth year for St John WA’s State Control Centre (SCC), Western Australia’s central hub for managing ambulance calls and dispatching. 

Managing hundreds of thousands of Triple Zero (000) calls every year, including 317,979 in FY2025, SCC’s teams and systems are a powerful force of assurance, support and calm to the WA public when emergencies arise.  

According to the latest Report on Government Services (ROGS), St John WA has the best Triple Zero (000) call answering times nationally with 97.4% of calls answered under 10 seconds. 

New blood

St John WA’s call-takers are the heart of SCC and 2025 saw 35 new Communications Officers pass their training and join the team. 

Leanne Woodcock was named ‘Dispatcher of the Year’ for the strong impression she made in her first year in the role. 

Praised for her handling of a call from a person in the depths of a mental health crisis, Leanne provided a steady, caring voice at the other end of the line and built a reassuring rapport with the caller while they waited for paramedics to arrive.  

She was shocked to be honoured with the award. 

“I was really proud of myself – it was a real privilege to win,” Leanne said. 

“I’ve got two adult sons and they were just like, ‘Mum, we knew you could do it!’” 

Leanne only trained to be a Communications Officer at the start of 2025 and, at 57 and having not studied since she was 16, she was unsure if she would make it through the vigorous revision required to pass the intensive three-month training course. 

Now that she has settled in, she could not be prouder to have taken the plunge with her new career.  

Another Communications Officer, Bec Delcaro, was also awarded a Silver Commendation. 

Out with the old, in with the new

It was all change for the outdated phone system within SCC and a new system was put into place to better support both the operational and emergency sides of the Control Centre. 

The new resilient and purpose-built platform is designed to handle the critical demands of emergency operations.  

The upgrade has boosted reliability, streamlined support, and strengthened SCC’s ability to respond. 

The changeover was a monumental project involving multiple stakeholders across St John WA, as well as externally. 

Honourable mentions

Call-takers are recognised throughout the year for demonstrating their very best in a variety of challenges faced when a Triple Zero (000) call comes through. 

• 15 dispatchers joined the ‘Stork Club’ after successfully supporting the delivery of a baby while on the call. 

• 48 successful TCPR (Telecommunicator Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) nominations for team members who coached callers through the CPR process when a patient was experiencing cardiac arrest. 

State Control Centre Manager, Debbie Strachan, steered the SCC ship again in 2025 and is thrilled at her team’s achievements over the past year. 

“It has been another incredible year for the State Control Centre,” Debbie said. 

“The team has delivered its highest performance in a decade with calls answered under 10 seconds sitting at 97.4 per cent – the best in Australia. 

“And from welcoming new Communications Officers to recognising outstanding individuals like Leanne and Bec, I couldn’t be prouder of the calm, capable support our team provides to the Western Australian community when it matters most.”  

Congratulations to the entire SCC team.