Ambulance Victoria (AV) is urging Victorians to treat paramedics and call takers with respect following a spike in violent and abusive behaviour towards them.
More than 100 Ambulance Victoria (AV) officers reported being injured while doing their job between July 2023 and March 2024.
Recent incidents include: a paramedic being grabbed and punched in the face by a patient they were treating; a paramedic suffering a dislocation after a patient became aggressive; paramedics being harassed and followed by a man outside of a Melbourne hospital, who was threatening to assault them.
Incidents of verbal assault, swearing and name calling have also been reported, with AV warning that such abuse can force paramedics to pause their treatment, withdraw from the scene or terminate calls.
AV executive director regional operations Danielle North said violence against paramedics was completely unacceptable.
“We know emergency situations can be stressful for people, but this is no excuse to behave aggressively towards paramedics,” she said.
“Assaulting or berating a paramedic will not help them do their job any quicker.”
Mildura paramedic Brodie Thomas has been physically assaulted and spat on while working and is calling on the community to stamp out this behaviour.
“If you ever need us, please know that we are doing our very best to help you,” he said.
“We know the majority of our patients and community members do not behave this way, but it only takes one incident to cause serious physical or mental harm.
“More and more often, paramedics are carrying a heightened cognitive load when they arrive at incidents; having to constantly make dynamic risk assessments knowing there’s a chance they could be harmed.”
Injuring an emergency worker in Victoria is a Category one offence and carries a mandatory minimum six-month jail sentence.
For more information on the impact of occupational violence on paramedics and how members of the public can help, visit: www.ambulance.vic.gov.au/campaigns/respect-our-paramedics.
