Doug Buchanan (Class of 1994) named in the Australia Day 2025 Honours List

Doug Buchanan (William Doug Buchanan, Class of 1994) was named in the Australia Day 2025 Honours list, he received an ASM (Ambulance Service Medal) in the Australia Day honours for his work over the past 20 years with QAS (Queensland Ambulance Service).

Since joining the QAS in 2004 Doug has been well known for his unwavering dedication and commitment to the service, his team and patients.

Doug’s extensive experience and expertise have made him a valuable asset in many critical and high-stress emergency situations, acting as scene commander and patient care officer in countless multiple-vehicle and fatal road traffic crashes, cardiac arrests and both the 2010-2011 Brisbane floods and the North Queensland Floods in 2019.

His colleagues say Doug consistently goes above and beyond, always striving for patient-centred excellence. This is evident in Doug’s commitment to his own development and training, ensuring he remains at the forefront of clinical care.

Doug’s extensive experience and expertise have made him a valuable asset in many critical and high-stress emergency situations, acting as scene commander and patient care officer in countless multiple-vehicle and fatal road traffic crashes, cardiac arrests and both the 2010-2011 Brisbane floods and the North Queensland Floods in 2019.

His colleagues say Doug consistently goes above and beyond, always striving for patient-centred excellence. This is evident in Doug’s commitment to his own development and training, ensuring he remains at the forefront of clinical care.

Doug’s extensive experience and expertise have made him a valuable asset in many critical and high-stress emergency situations, acting as scene commander and patient care officer in countless multiple-vehicle and fatal road traffic crashes, cardiac arrests and both the 2010-2011 Brisbane floods and the North Queensland Floods in 2019.

His colleagues agree Doug displays a genuine commitment to patient-centred excellence, and his leadership skills have made a lasting impact on his staff and community.

“I’m very very humbled to be even considered to accept this award,” Doug said.

“I guess I’m most proud of being able to have travelled around the state and worked in a variety of roles both metro (and) rural and regional areas to learn from the people that I work for and with, and around to gain different levels of experience from that and then bring it all back to my career now where I can try and impart some of that knowledge and try and support both our staff and our patients and obviously the organisation from the experience that I’ve learnt from.”

Doug’s extensive experience has also made him a valuable asset in many critical and high-stress emergency situations, acting as scene commander and patient care officer in countless multiple-vehicle and fatal road traffic crashes, cardiac arrests and both the 2010-2011 Brisbane floods and the North Queensland Floods in 2019.

On reflection Doug said he has valued his time out west as a single-response officer equally as much as his time spent in emergency response vehicles in Fortitude Valley on a Friday or Saturday night. No matter where he’s working, Doug’s primary love for the job has always been that oft-heard sentiment from a paramedic – ‘I love helping people on the worst day of their life’.

“I’ve enjoyed being able to support people when they’re having a bad day. Being able to help people in the community to improve their situation that they find themselves in that’s a very honourable and rewarding aspect of the job.”

We congratulate Doug on this fantastic achievement.

Content: Queensland Government, Ambulance Service 

Photo: Queensland Ambulance Service Facebook