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<\/p>\nThe paramedic managed to climb back into his vehicle, but the aggressive man smashed on his window, swearing as he tried to jump on the ambulance before police arrived.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we were just lucky in that situation to get away,\u201d Harrington says.<\/p>\n
Gorman said the frequency of attacks had increased since November, but she was particularly concerned that the severity of assaults had worsened too.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the worst I\u2019ve ever seen it in 30 years of emergency work,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve physically had my wrist broken. I\u2019ve been spat on, kicked, punched multiple times throughout my career, but I\u2019ve never seen it as bad as it is now, in regards to the severity of assaults taking place.\u201d<\/p>\n
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On December 27, a patient stroked a female paramedic\u2019s inner thigh and continued the unwanted touching, even after more crew arrived.<\/p>\n
Gorman said that sexual assault was particularly shocking.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn a three-day window, we had 10 very serious offences perpetrated against our paramedics, which has caused us today to step out as an organisation and as regional leaders to say: Enough is enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
She described violence inflicted upon emergency workers as a global epidemic.<\/p>\n
Burns said patients were often the perpetrators of paramedic assaults, but bystanders and relatives were increasingly aggressive.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Andrew Burns, director of Ambulance Victoria operations in western Melbourne, alongside Vanessa Gorman, who manages eastern Melbourne.Credit: Simon Schluter<\/p>\n
He was unable to cite specific assault numbers for December compared to previous years but said \u201cridiculous levels\u201d of abuse over the Christmas period indicated the problem was worsening.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think rather than talking to the specific numbers, it\u2019s the trend and the severity that is grossly concerning,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had crews whipped by stethoscope. We\u2019ve had crews have to abandon the ambulance whilst a patient destroyed the back of the ambulance.\u201d<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
Paramedics Luke Harrington and Alex Hemsley.Credit: Simon Schluter<\/p>\n
Harrington, meanwhile, has been a paramedic for seven years and describes violence towards him as part of the reality of his profession. Spitting was not uncommon.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish that I could say that this was the first time it\u2019s happened to me, but almost an identical situation happened about 18 months ago,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was the same thing, a stranger came and pulled the window down, essentially, and spat on me again.\u201d<\/p>\n
He later added: \u201cI got into this job to help people on their worst day \u2026 which is why it\u2019s even more disappointing that this stuff happens.\u201d<\/p>\n