Arriving at the scene of a car crash or other accident the ambulance crews discover the victim is someone they know.

NSW Ambulance Inspector Rhys Dive said people mistakenly believed that most car crash victims in the region were from elsewhere.

“Most of the time it is the locals, and some of them, it is people you know,” he said.

“The roads around Orange, they aren’t Sydney people’s roads, they are local roads.

“It could be one of the dads from school or one of your kids’ friends.

“One [fatality] is too many for us, particularly when you know they are locals.

“It’s the scar on the tree, the skid marks on the road, the little cross on the side of the road that really brings it home to me when you see it because you know that is one person who won’t be home for Christmas.”

Inspector Dive said he had attended a crash where one of the drivers was a colleague’s daughter.

“You get that telephone call, you think the worse, thankfully both were fine.”

However, not all car crashes end that way.

“When somebody is still in a car and they are deceased you still need to get them out of the car,” he said.

“That’s not a particularly pleasant job.

“People say ‘how do you do your job?’

“We do have a lot of support services in place here.”

The Orange paramedics have delivered a heartfelt Christmas message urging drivers to slow down and take care.

“There is no need to drink and drive and don’t be distracted by texts,” he said.

Inspector Dive urged drivers to take regular rests on long drives.

“The Central Tablelands is full of some spectacular places to pull over and rest.

“If you’re a passenger, make sure the driver is OK, talk to them, encourage them to pull over and have a rest.”

He said kangaroos and other wildlife were a problem for motorists at this time of year.

“Count the number of dead kangaroos and dead livestock on the side of the road,” he said.

“It is very green near the roads. There is a lot of wildlife coming over to the roadside.”