Body armour call for at-risk 999 crews

[Jason]

AN ambulance worker viciously assaulted as he attended a 999 call, today backed moves for paramedics to be given body armour.
Mick McTague suffered an horrific attack last year which left him questioning his future in the job.

Now, the 47-year-old from Warton, has joined calls by union leaders for all front-line crews to be given stab vests. The Association of Professional Ambulance Personnel (APAP) has warned ambulance staff are being put at risk.

The APAP has been fighting for stab vests for 10 years, but currently, only London, Essex and Dorset trusts issue workers with them.

Father-of-one Mr McTague – who suffered bite wounds, bruises and a torn shoulder ligament when he was set upon in Padiham in June last year, said: "We've been asking for stab vests for a long time, but don't appear to be getting anywhere.

"It's all about cost and they are expensive. But you can't put a cost on someone's safety.

"We had vests when I was working in London. It did make you feel safer. They didn't feel cumbersome or get in the way, as some people think. You just get used to wearing them.

"I thought I would have needed the stab vest more in London; you would have thought it would be more violent there. But I would say
it's actually worse since I moved up here.

"It might be the case that no-one has been stabbed yet, but it's only a matter of time."

Jonathan Fox, from the APAP, said: "There is a disproportionate minority of people that we attend who can turn violent. It's this risk we are trying to address."

A spokesman for the North West Ambulance Service said the number of incidents involving knives were very few and that stab vests could appear as a barrier or even be considered confrontational.

He said: "Stab vests or Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is universally considered as the last form of defence. All other methods to diffuse or avoid violent situations should be applied and, for this reason, all frontline staff undergo intensive conflict resolution training. This is not a straightforward debate and needs to be done jointly with staff and unions before an agreement is reached."

SOURCE

[WillowTheWhisp]

It's ludicrous isn't it when emergency vehicle personnel are in danger from idiots.

[Sweetpea]

When will they start actually start punishing this crud...