In the past 18 months in Northland, she and her partner had faced \u201cfive quite dicey situations\u201d involving violence, threats or volatile behaviour usually fuelled by methamphetamine and alcohol.<\/p>\n
Lockie, who oversees about 300 staff across the region, echoed the concerns.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf my people are exposed to threats, violence, aggression, inappropriate behaviour, they are directed to leave. And if a patient dies on the floor because you\u2019ve threatened one of my people, that\u2019s on you, not my people.\u201d<\/p>\n
One recent incident the paramedic described happened while she and her partner were stopped at an intersection when a man approached their ambulance \u201cin a threatening manner\u201d, brandishing an object and trying to get inside.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were just like, \u2018No, thank you. See you later,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cSo I did an awesome six-point turn and took off.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other situations were harder to escape.<\/p>\n
At a large gathering, the patient refused care but his associates threatened the crew when they went to leave.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone involved was high on meth, and backing out of the scene was pretty freaking difficult,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
Another incident began as a routine medical job but turned out to be a violent domestic assault. Although the victim fled to safety, her alleged assailant suddenly claimed a medical problem.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was unpredictable, aggressive, threatening,\u201d the paramedic said. \u201cEvery fibre of our being wanted to get out of there \u2026 but he had a medical complaint and we didn\u2019t want to leave him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eventually, his behaviour escalated to the point where the crew had to withdraw and return with police support.<\/p>\n
The most serious case involved a critically unwell patient whose family threatened a critical\u2011care paramedic.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey reportedly said: \u2018I\u2019m going to kill you or I\u2019m going to ram you if you don\u2019t move those vehicles.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cThat 100% risked the patient\u2019s life,\u201d the paramedic said. <\/p>\n
The patient survived, but the officer described the situation as \u201cbizarre\u201d and frightening.<\/p>\n
Another time, a gravely ill patient was also extremely violent. Bystanders were furious about the ambulance delay and \u201cup in our faces\u201d, the paramedic said. <\/p>\n
Two police officers were needed to restrain the patient, adding further delay.<\/p>\n
The paramedic said ambulance staff now relied heavily on police for their safety, although police presence often riled bystanders further. <\/p>\n
Lockie said aggression towards staff was a nationwide problem,<\/a> although particularly acute in rural regions<\/a> like Northland.<\/p>\n \u201cWe live in a rural and remote environment. It\u2019s not a situation where an ambulance is just around the corner<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s this expectation that we just appear \u2013 and that\u2019s simply not the case.\u201d<\/p>\n Lockie said violence was generally but not always linked to intoxication. Another major driver in Northland was grief.<\/p>\n \u201cSome people process that with anger and rage, and will often take that out on ambulance staff,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Lockie said the toll on staff was severe, contributing to burnout, compassion fatigue and PTSD. Abuse and violence were also affecting retention and recruitment. <\/p>\n \u201cOur people have started to normalise these behaviours as just part of the job. <\/p>\n Hato Hone St John Northland District Operations Manager Ben Lockie. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n