Joel Blazevic doesn’t work on the frontline of emergency response, but his work helps shape how it operates. 

As an insights analyst at St John WA, Joel spends his days turning complex data into clear guidance for decisions that matter. When parts of the organisation need to understand what is happening – and what might happen next – his role is to make that clear. 

“I use data and maths to put some science behind why a certain decision makes sense,” he said. 

“If you understand why something happens, you can change the outcome.” 

The questions aren’t theoretical. They sit close to real life and real risk. Joel has analysed how weather patterns influence ambulance case volumes and why medical helicopter evacuations have shifted over time. 

Each project contributes to understanding how people are cared for – often at points of urgency or vulnerability. 

It’s a deeply analytical skill set that was honed studying maths at Murdoch University, but Joel’s interest in this kind of work began early. Growing up, he was always less satisfied with answers than explanations. 

“I was always interested in the ‘why’ behind things,” he said. 

That instinct drew him toward maths, science and engineering – and ultimately to Murdoch to study education and applied mathematics. The university stood out to him for one key reason: flexibility that allowed him to follow his interests without narrowing his options. 

“It was the only university I could find that let me study two areas at once,” Joel said. “I could learn maths for teaching, but also do maths units with people from other disciplines.” 

That mix proved formative. Instead of learning in silos, Joel found himself in rooms with students applying maths to medicine, health, engineering and education. This brought different perspectives to how the same knowledge could be applied. 

The flexibility extended beyond course structures, too. In several higher‑level units, students were given open‑ended projects: choose a problem, bring the maths, and show the rigour behind it. 

“People were modelling hospital triaging, injury healing rates, disease outbreaks,” Joel said. “You could apply maths to almost anything.” 

He chose to build a model examining Achilles tendon healing – an experience that helped him see how mathematical thinking could translate into practical insight. 

“That was a moment where I thought, okay, I can see where this leads,” he said. “It’s not just numbers – it’s a way of understanding what’s happening.” 

He recalls the support of lecturers through this period and how students were encouraged to ask questions – repeatedly, if needed. 

You never felt like you were wasting someone’s time, the response was always, ‘That’s why I’m here.’

For Joel, who was the first in his family to attend university, that mattered. Navigating higher education wasn’t always straightforward, and his parents hadn’t been through the system themselves. 

“What I didn’t realise early on was that degrees don’t lead directly to jobs,” he said. “They give you skills that let you be useful in lots of different ways.” 

That understanding grew over time. While finishing his degree, Joel completed a teaching placement and ongoing work in the classroom. The experience reinforced something that would later shape his work in analytics: clarity matters as much as correctness. 

“You learn very quickly that it’s not about what you understand,” he said. “It’s about whether someone else understands.” 

But he also came to recognise the demands of teaching – and began searching for a role that combined maths, critical thinking and broader impact. That opportunity arrived at St John.  

Although still early in his role, Joel can already see how his work feeds into larger systems.  

In the office, dashboards update every few seconds, showing real‑time information across the State. Analysts track capacity, response times and demand – information that feeds directly into operational decisions. 

“You really understand the responsibility,” Joel said. “If this is wrong, it has consequences.” 

A standout moment for Joel came when colleagues were presenting data at a Safe Farms conference – information Joel’s team had helped analyse. Farmers were shown how injury risk increases on farms, and how first‑aid training and faster response could save lives.  

“That’s the sort of impact I want to have,” Joel said. “Helping make places safer.” 

Looking back, Joel never expected his path to lead from engineering to education to emergency services analytics – and that’s something he values. 

It’s not your degree title that matters. It’s the skills you build along the way.

The impact of Joel’s skills is rarely seen, but it’s felt – in safer responses, better planning, and systems people can rely on when it matters most. 

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