Janet CollinsParamedics are our Unsung Heroes
May 7th 2010 23:14
Paramedics are our lifeline. They belong to a profession of unsung heroes. They save lives and are witness to some of society’s tragedies. Despite that, the profession has come under a lot of abuse.
Today, NSW Health Minister, Carmel Tebbutt, announced that she is pushing through legislation that will severely penalise anyone hampering a paramedic on duty. A good strategy indeed but the reasons behind the Minister taking such measures though are really disturbing.
According to NSW Health, assaults on paramedics who are actually trying to help people are increasing every year. In the year 2008 to 2009 there were 120 reported cases of assault on paramedics, 111 the previous year and 75 the year before that.
Most of us would agree that a paramedic’s job is a grueling one. Responding to emergency calls can often see a paramedic arrive at a location only to find someone already dead or near enough that a paramedic is put under great pressure to keep them alive.
That is bad enough but according to a report in The Sydney Morning Herald today two of the incidents involving assaults on paramedics last year included one where youths tossed objects at an ambulance and another where a female attacked officers with a screwdriver, but there were lots more.
These people have taken on a job that would take them into situations that most of us would never see. They wrestle with life and death situations, attend to victims of cardiac arrest and accidents of all kinds and even tend to victims of vicious assault.
Paramedics have never before had this sort of protection, unlike police or fire brigade officers. Presumably this is because attacks on paramedics have not been commonly known. Most of us, including me, would have never suspected that people would steep to such low depths as to attack a person who is actually there to save a life.
It is a really sad indictment that people of such a life-saving profession have had to deal with further trauma of assault. What is even more disturbing is that, according to the Herald there have been nine suicides of NSW paramedics over the last twelve years. Job stress alone could be a key factor in this. Compounding this would have to be the stress of potential threats or assaults.
The move by Minister Tebbutt is a really good one. It is just really sad that it has to be done at all.
Sourced: www.smh.com.au
Image credit: www.abc.net.au
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Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
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There is a movie starring Nic Cage which highlights from a very dark point of view the job of a paramedic - it is called Bringing out the Dead and while it is VERY dark it is realism so you may appreciate it
Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure
Jason - 'bringing out the dead' is probably my favorite film.
Comment by Janet Collins
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Comment by Janet Collins
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Thank for the comment. I personally have never come across any rude paramedics. They are usually there to help and have no real authority. Some, like yourself, may have had different experiences but I am appalled that anyone would want to challenge someone who may help them out of a life and death situation.,
Thanks for the comment.
Comment by Wilson Pon
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Comment by Janet Collins
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I think paramedics work against all odds but they do a really good job in the process.
Thanks.
Janet