Dire questions about safety

ATTACKS on emergency services workers must be condemned in the most certain terms possible – and not just for their own safety.

Yesterday’s alleged assault of a female paramedic in Murray St was just the latest in a growing trend all over the country, and the community is rightly sick of it.

No one was injured in yesterday’s alleged attack, but police believe a group hurled threats, beer bottles and even a wheelie bin, forcing the paramedic to retreat to safety while her patient went untreated.

What would the reaction be if a patient had died because an ambulance officer had to weigh up personal safety against saving someone else’s life?

We rely on the bravery of these men and women when we and our family members are at our weakest.

Day after day, they put themselves in harm’s way in already dangerous situations to make sure we still wake up tomorrow.

Questions have been raised about why a paramedic would be working alone, but this is not an unusual occurrence and it allows them to respond faster when they are needed. The true question is why do these men and women repeatedly face verbal and physical abuse while they are trying to treat patients?

There is another consequence of this sort of attack which, again, puts lives on the line. The Queensland Ambulance Service hierarchy must review these instances and determine whether an area is too dangerous for paramedics to attend unaccompanied.

The actions of a few could mean an entire community receives a slower response when they need medical help, just so paramedics can ensure they are safe on the job. Chris Calcino