Parabellum International has grown impressively to become a leading emergency response and medical services provider across Australia and now the world. We speak to CEO, Navin Vij about the company’s people-centric safety mission, its services and the impressive scale of its fleet.
EXCEPTIONAL PEOPLE DELIVER EXCEPTIONAL RESULTS
We don’t just train emergency response; we create emergency responders. We’re in a very privileged position to genuinely save people’s lives, which means they go home to their families.”
This powerful opening statement reflects how Parabellum International (Parabellum) has worked relentlessly to claw its way into the highest echelons of the provision of emergency response, medical services, comprehensive risk management and elite training services. A true global leader in its field, Parabellum has become deeply embedded within both the onshore and offshore oil, gas, mining, defence, resources, energy, waste, construction, and government sectors. The company’s proven operational experience within high-risk and remote locations remains a global differentiator.
Dedicated to providing unrivalled emergency, medical response and risk management services across these select industries, Parabellum holds multiple long-term master services agreements supporting clients worldwide on some of the largest capital and operational projects, ensuring safe and dependable support throughout.
The company’s international exposure and long-term partnerships across a multitude of companies and projects concerning the management of risk, allow Parabellum to effectively anticipate and minimise these dangers, provide significant cost savings and simplify the on-site emergency and safety operations for its clients.
The risk management services provided by Parabellum deal flexibly with personnel, vehicles, equipment, plans, procedures and ongoing evaluation of on-site services. The company possesses unique experience in providing exclusively tailored solutions to ensure the safety of people and projects and aims to deliver “measurable value” across the entire project life cycle so that deadlines are met safely, on time and within budget.
GROWING IN A STABLE AND EXCITING INDUSTRY
As a burgeoning entrepreneur from an early age, Navin Vij, CEO of Parabellum, knew his talents lay in building businesses and creating compelling careers for his people from the ground up.
“I always knew I had a business side to myself,” recalls Vij.
“Having already created businesses while I was undertaking my management and finance degree at a local university here in Perth, I built an electronics, wholesale and distribution company. It was then in 2010 I started Parabellum.
“The mining and oil and gas industries were getting a lot busier in Perth,” he continues.
“There was a bit of a boom happening, so I identified an opportunity to provide some basic health and safety support to companies in this sector. I was only 22 at the time, but I was willing to learn and work from the front line and I am proud to say we’re still here 12 years later.”
One of the key reasons for this longevity, and survival in what is now such a competitive industry, is that Parabellum offers a comprehensive, well-rounded and diverse array of services, adaptable to any environment.
“If it’s firefighting, we’ve got trucks, fire stations, firefighters, firefighting equipment, and we’ll provide a full private fire service for projects or operating assets,” Vij explains.
“In the medical space, we’ve got paramedics, doctors, nurses, medical clinics, and ambulances. So, we can supply a private, full-service delivery, that supports and protects people,” he adds.
“In training, we are a leading Registered Training Organisation dedicated to delivering best in class training exclusively to our industries. We don’t do high volume cookie cutter training courses; we specialise in providing world class training and improving our industries only!”
Elsewhere, Parabellum also delivers safety and medical care training to local communities, with the aim of leaving a lasting legacy of skill development locally after a project’s completion. This has been carried out in the Pacific Islands and Asia, as Parabellum transfers its knowledge to local populations.
“This is a very important aspect for us, not just to come in and deliver services, but to develop local skills and safety capability and improve the community that gave us a license to operate.”
Vij believes that the collective skillset possessed by Parabellum is applicable and transferable across industries.
“Whether it’s government or private, there’s always risk. Everything we do in this world on a day-to-day basis has varying levels of risk, whether it’s driving a car to and from home, climbing a ladder, or completing major capital projects, there are always levels of risk which must be mitigated,” he explains.
SAFETY FIRST
Parabellum has a proven and highly successful track record of aiding the largest and most technically capable Tier 1 companies in their supply chain, not just with traditional services but by actually helping them to run entire projects, on the way to becoming an overall service delivery company.
“At present, we are building medical clinics, fire stations, administration buildings and other major infrastructure, constantly looking to diversify sensibly,” Vij reveals.
Further to this, Parabellum has helped many companies operating in Australia for the first time, who may not be aware of the local way of working, standards, processes, or how to transition a project smoothly through a design, construction and operation phase.
When discussing the next 12 months that lie ahead for Parabellum, Vij describes an exciting and detailed vision of continued expansion for the company.
“We’ve got significant growth coming up in Australia, as well as further plans for the entire Asia-Pacific region. So as the next 12, 24 and 36 months unfold, we hope to see significant expansion into Southeast Asia and the Pacific islands, and the continued development in our local markets,” he explains.
Parabellum already possesses an operating base in Singapore, upon which the company hopes to springboard into further success across the continent. This hub will prove essential in the ability to support new emerging technologies in hydrogen, waste, and power, as well as constructing new operating bases.
“At Parabellum, we do not compromise on standards, we are steadfast in our resolve to deliver on our promise to our customers”
Navin Vij, CEO, Parabellum International
DELIVERING A DIVERSE FLEET
Parabellum’s clients enjoy unrivalled access to the company’s esteemed fleet of emergency response and medical vehicles. This includes the option to use a range of light tankers, ambulances, fire appliances and trailers for hire, for medium- or long-term engagements, or alternatively, a custom design and build for an outright purchase.
These highly effective vehicles can be supplied as dry hire or fully stowed, featuring all the required emergency response or medical equipment to suit capital or operational expenditure requirements and budgets.
Other models available within Parabellum’s fleet include specialist Aviation Rescue Fire Fighting (ARFF) appliances, confined space rescue and breathing apparatus trailers, and fully equipped containers and relocatable buildings.
Additionally, Parabellum continues to pursue the electrification of its fleet of vehicles. In this way, the company is aiming to transition away from the traditional diesel range and embrace hybrid technology, which brings innovation, reduced emissions, as well as renewed reliability.
A DEDICATED COLLECTIVE
Parabellum’s reputation for uncompromising quality has been hard-earned through the efforts of its highly professional team’s devotion to craft and care. The company’s foundations are built upon a collective of high-calibre, best-in-class service professionals that act with trust and integrity at all times.
Keenly aware of the need to find people perfectly aligned with Parabellum’s core values, before joining such a specialist team, Vij tells us how it is critical to recognise key qualities and traits from the inception of a new working relationship.
“The final evaluation before we hire anyone is, do they match our culture, do they believe, and do they share our company mindset. This process has been critical in bringing the right personnel into our teams,” he expands.
He continues to tell us, “for Parabellum, having visibility, trust and sharing a collective vision has been vital to the company’s success because everyone in the team believes in what we’re doing.”
This shared responsibility and mentality of the company culture that Parabellum works so hard to foster, aligns every level of the company to one total vision, from paramedics and firefighters on the ground to every level of management, as well as external players such as subcontractors and suppliers.
“These values are non-negotiable. No matter what level, everyone is expected to help their team – no job is too small or unimportant,” Vij concludes firmly.
“At Parabellum, we do not compromise on standards; we are steadfast in our resolve to deliver on our promise to our clients.”
