Volunteer wellbeing under pressure with Karen Calwell, Daniel Ciccosillo and Peter Frier
How St John Victoria is rebuilding and strengthening their member wellbeing and peer support program and what every volunteer organisation can learn from them.
Every organisation that involves volunteers is expected to look after their wellbeing, and that expectation is hardening. Volunteer managers in every sector already feel the problem: burnout, quiet drop off, the same few people covering every shift.
Emergency services volunteers arguably carry the most pressure of any group, because they are exposed to high risk situations. St John Ambulance Victoria manages that across a large volunteer workforce, so its practice shows any organisation, from a food bank to a council, what good looks like.
Health and safety laws across Australia increasingly treat psychological health as part of health, and regulators increasingly expect organisations to look after volunteers as well as staff. Victoria is one example: the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 treats psychological health as part of health, new Psychological Health Regulations have applied to employers since 1 December 2025, and WorkSafe Victoria expects organisations to protect volunteers from health and safety risks, so far as is reasonably practicable.
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Key topics covered:
The rules in plain English
what the duties expect of organisations and where volunteers fit.(This is not a conversation about the legislation but practical discussion about how a volunteering organisation is structuring their program around compliance and safety).
Fixing the hazard, not just helping the person cope
St John schedules heavier training in the off season to avoid fatigue and overload, and uses a three to six month onboarding.
Early signals
what rostering data can show (shift frequency, back to back events, repeat assignment to the hardest jobs, drop off patterns) and how it can trigger a check in.
Support around the person
peer support, post event surveys, a 24 hour escalation process and mental health training through the Are You OK? partnership.
Peter Fryer, MStJ - State Psychologist, St John Ambulance Victoria
Peter Fryer is an experienced Melbourne-based registered psychologist, trauma specialist, and emergency first responder with nearly two decades of experience in community safety and mental health leadership. As the Founder and Principal Psychologist of Inner Shield Psychology, Peter specializes in trauma recovery, PTSD, and evidence-based modalities like EMDR. He concurrently serves as the State Psychologist for St John Ambulance Victoria and has extensive experience leading peer support programs for the Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES). In recognition of his long-standing dedication to frontline mental health and community resilience, Peter was admitted as a Member of the Order of St John (MStJ) in late 2024.
Karen Calwell, Head of Training, Development and Member Engagement at St John Ambulance Victoria
Karen Calwell’s connection with St John Ambulance Victoria began as a teenager, sparking a lifelong passion for first aid, leadership and community service. A registered nurse with an MBA and postgraduate qualifications in emergency and spinal cord injury nursing, Karen has worked across public, private, rural and not-for-profit healthcare. Her roles have spanned clinical care, education, workforce development, organ and tissue donation, and regional health coordination.
Karen returned to St John Ambulance Victoria five and a half years ago as both a volunteer and staff member. She held senior roles, including Training and Development Manager and Acting General Manager, before stepping into her current position. She now leads initiatives in volunteer development, training and member engagement, with a focus on building a future-ready volunteer workforce. Karen believes education and empowerment are key to strengthening communities, and she is proud to give back to the organisation that shaped her formative years.
Daniel Ciccosillo, Senior Manager Volunteering, St John Ambulance Victoria
Having progressed from the Youth Program to senior leadership in Victoria and a national role with St John Ambulance, Daniel Ciccosillo is a dedicated champion for emergency management, youth development, and community resilience. Alongside his active volunteer work with St John and VICSES, Daniel serves as Executive Director of Health and Medical Services at Omnia Community Health. With more than 20 years spanning clinical practice and health sector leadership, he oversees clinical excellence and service integration following the merger of Nexus Primary Health and Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health.
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