LOCAL Ambulance officers are enforcing their zero tolerance policy towards violence against paramedics with the help of police after recent incidents involving ice affected patients.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Paramedics will not enter a household where they know the patient has a history of drug-related violence without police back up.
Patients high on ice or other drugs have been a problem for local emergency service workers for some time and local paramedics have had enough.
NSW ambulance inspector Stephen Pollard said the safety of local paramedics is now the first priority when assessing a possible drug related call out.
“If we know or suspect we are about to deal with an ice affected patient then there is no way we will go into that situation without police assistance,” he said.
“We have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to violence against our members and we have had it for about a decade, it is just being called into action a bit more recently.”
Mr Pollard said under the mental health act patients who are suffering a psychotic episode, whether that be as a result of drug use or otherwise, have to be sedated before they can be treated.
“Ice patients are nearly always aggressive and unpredictable, to even treat them we need police to restrain them so we can stick a needle in their bum to calm them down,” he said.
“We don’t have capsicum spray and tasers and the like, so we won’t put ourselves in a position where we are likely to be assaulted.
“If we go to a category of job that is defined as a patient acting aggressively the police are automatically asked to attend those situations, we are linked to police computers and if police know that person or they have a history then they will send back a message to us telling us not to attend until they arrive.
“We’ve had a few of them recently.”
Acting Inspector Young Police Michael Madgwick said they will always look to assist paramedics in potentially volatile situations.
“We are all in emergency services together and we look after each other,” he said.
“We work hand in hand, we will go into a situation first, get it under control, then the ambos will come in.
“It is the same with the firefighters if they need our help we will be there, the ambos and the firies would do the same for us.
Acting Inspector Madgwick said he does not think Young has an ice problem.
“Young does not have an ice plague or an epidemic but it is a problem.
“Any ice use is a problem because it is a terrible drug but it is not something that is out of control.”