A female paramedic is at home recovering from her injuries after being assaulted by a man in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh.
The paramedic was punched repeatedly in the head and stomach after her crew responded to an emergency call in the Dannys Mill Road area at about 23:30 hours on Tuesday.
Following a call for urgent assistance made by the emergency ambulance crew, PSNI Officers quickly attended the scene and were able to restrain the male.
According to the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, the attack happened in the back of the ambulance and was totally unprovoked.
NIAS Chief Executive, Michael Bloomfield, said:
“I appeal that our staff be allowed to do their job without
West Tyrone Sinn Féin MLA Catherine Kelly called for a zero-tolerance approach to those who assault ambulance staff and other health service workers:
“The ambulance crew had to be immediately stood down, leaving a large rural area exposed in terms of available cover during the rest of the shift,” she said.
“More worryingly, as a result of the injuries sustained and trauma inflicted in this attack, the female ambulance crew member has been now forced onto sick leave.”
There are over 400 assaults on staff from the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) each year – more than one a day.
An NIAS Spokesperson said:
‘NIAS has a zero tolerance policy in relation to these assaults.
‘Our staff should not be subject to such behaviour, especially while they are providing care to patients. The vast majority of these incidents are not reported in the media, but that does not make them any less concerning.
‘All assaults on ambulance staff are totally unacceptable and result in a reduction in
We are proud to act as a voice for the emergency services, armed forces & health service, with over 500,000 people visiting our website each month.
CLICK HERE to visit our crowdfunding page —>
What an awful thing to happen, hope you recover well brave lady and are able to return to your vocation. The cowardly scumbag that did this to you needs a good prison sentence not a slap on the hand.
God bless you and your colleagues.
Sinn Féin and PIRA were I believe the instigators of the original kelly green Ambulance uniform, so the Ambulance crews could be differentiated from the Police and not targeted. I also believe that during the ‘troubles’ Ambulance crews were actually safer from such everyday violence (not a term I like) than they are today as PIRA and Sinn Féin took a dim view of such attacks and meted out local ‘justice’ which was respected far more than the soft justice the courts hand down. No I don’t want to return to the past terror and related violence, but courts need to come down hard on those that attack Ambulance crews and medics, soft sentencing doesn’t work.
ANY attack on Emergency vehicles OR Staff must be dealt with QUICKLY -not weeks/months later – ALL Magistrates/Judges MUST give such evil people IMMEDIATE Jail senteces 5 Years (60 Months) MINIMUM Plus Financial charges for the FULL Repair costs of damage to vehicles & Property PLUS Compensation to their victims. IF a Magistrate does not have the power to impose these measures then they must pass the verdict for a higher court to decide. NO BAIL whilst waiting for Court to be allowed – NO contact with victims under any circumstances.