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Tim Parsons, a former frontline ambulance chaplain with South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb), has turned his experiences on the road into a series of children’s books designed to introduce young readers to the realities of ambulance work.
Parsons served with SECAmb from 2015 to 2021, providing pastoral support to crews in high-pressure environments. He now continues that role as a chaplain with private provider Zulu Safety Limited, supporting staff wellbeing.
The inspiration for his Paramedic Chris series came during his very first third-manning shift. Travelling to an emergency call, a paramedic colleague named Chris spoke about his young daughter’s battle with cancer and her own efforts to write about her experiences.
Reflecting on that conversation, Parsons recalls thinking: while children are familiar with characters like Fireman Sam, there was little representation of ambulance services in the same space. From that point on, he began carrying a notebook on shifts, capturing moments and ideas drawn from real-life incidents.
The first book, Paramedic Chris, was published in 2018. That same year, Parsons received an award for his voluntary work with SECAmb at a ceremony in Westminster. The occasion remains particularly significant to him, as it was attended by his family shortly before his father passed away from cancer.
Since then, Parsons has written and published four books in the series, with a fifth title, Paramedic Chris: Beyond the Call, due for release in April 2026. Aimed at children aged four to ten, the stories are fictional but rooted in real-life emergency situations he has witnessed.
Parsons says his longer-term ambition extends beyond publishing. Through his time in chaplaincy, he saw many people in crisis brought to A&E, only to be discharged without sustained support. He hopes that, through book sales, he may one day help establish or support a retreat centre offering ongoing mental health support, both for members of the public and emergency service personnel experiencing burnout.
The Paramedic Chris books are available via Amazon in audiobook, paperback and ebook formats.
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