Ms Crossan said she had thought her next role would be with a not-for-profit organisation.
"When I looked at this closely, I saw this expert service that needed a leader.
"They said they needed management support and leadership in raising the profile."
Ms Crossan reminded the audience that the Wellington Free Ambulance is New Zealand's only free-to-the-patient emergency ambulance service.
"It's been free since 1927," she said, in response to a pessimistic question about cost.
"I didn't take this job on as chief executive to change that. Wellington Free will be free while I'm the chief executive."
However, the "free" means about $4 million in fundraising has to be found each year for the service, a registered charity.
It costs $250,000 to fully kit an ambulance.
Ms Crossan reflected on the changes since 1927, including ambulances that were Holden Kingswoods and drivers just had to be good drivers.
Then drivers were trained in first aid, a forerunner to the tertiary degree training paramedics receive today at Porirua and Auckland.
Today, only 10 per cent of their call-outs require the "bells and lights", with paramedics treating people at their homes with packs worth $40,000.
"Sometimes going to hospital is the worst thing," she said, adding a quick "no offence" to Wairarapa District Health Board's chief executive Graham Dyer. In fact, Mr Dyer agreed.
"You're going to see changes in the ambulance service, with far more focus in keeping people out of hospital," he said.
"We're looking at how we can stabilise and keep people in their homes."
Ms Crossan said she considered the clinical and paramedic capabilities of the service before taking on the job, not wanting to take on a service that was broken.
"It isn't - it's improving all the time."
Ms Crossan said people could help their service in other ways, remarking on how a Lions club in Wellington helped keep one of the suburban ambulance bases looking nice.
She said she was hoping to find a like-minded community group to help with the Greytown ambulance base, which "desperately needs some work".
She also reminded the audience that their service had an event team, willing to bring ambulances out to events for demonstrations and viewing.
Wairarapa DHB chairman Bob Francis says the Ministry of Health provides funding to a "reasonable degree" but not enough.
"They are under enormous pressure"
He said the DHB was going to help set up a local group, including local businesses, to help support the WFA.
Funding:
$15.4 million : Ministry of Health, district health boards, contracts and ACC
$800,000: Wellington Free Ambulance Trust
$4 million : Fundraising
The service assists nearly 74,000 people a year, an average of 202 a day, and serves a population of 460,000 people.
It has 143 paramedics, 25 emergency vehicles, three emergency fast response vehicles and six event ambulances, plus other transport vehicles and incident trucks.
