A West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) Paramedic has sustained minor injuries after being attacked by a patient in the early hours of this morning outside of a TK Maxx store in Birmingham.
The paramedic sent out an urgent call for assistance via the panic button located on his radio as West Midlands Police units which were in the area responded in a matter of minutes.
In a tweet shared by the Central Motorway Policing Group (CMPG) a spokesperson for the unit said:
“When the red button goes off, it doesn’t matter who pressed it.
“@officialwmas were being attacked by one of their patients and fortunately CMPG Specials were only round the corner.
“Quickly backed up by @ResponseWMP and @BTPBhm”.
The scene of the attack. Pic Credit: @CMPG / Twitter
A spokesperson for West Midlands Ambulance Service said:
“We were called at 11:46pm last night to reports of a medical incident at New Street Station in Birmingham.
“We sent one ambulance and paramedic officer to the scene.
“Unfortunately, whilst treating the male patient, a crew member was assaulted.
“Thankfully, they only suffered minor injuries and were able to continue with their job and took the patient to City Hospital for further treatment.
“West Midlands Ambulance Service will not tolerate people who abuse our staff.
“It is never appropriate for staff to be abused verbally or physically.
“Our crews have the right to work without fear of violence or intimidation whilst trying to help patients.
“We will now work with police to push for a prosecution.”
Frontline emergency ambulance crews have ‘panic buttons’ on their radios which, when pressed, immediately clear all radio traffic on the network.
The microphone on the radio is then automatically opened, allowing crews to call for immediate help even when their hands are not able to keep the transmit button on their radios pressed down for long enough to send an urgent message.
Once the ambulance control room receives an urgent assistance call, then a message is immediately sent to the nearest police control room, allowing police officers to respond to the request for help as quickly as possible.
West Midlands Police has been contacted for comment.
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