That a paramedic was killed and assaulted during an emergency call in Harmånger in Hälsingland at the end of September has shaken many who work in the ambulance service. This applies especially in metropolitan areas.
Our colleagues who are in the big cities, where there are many shootings, explosions, grenades in doorways and so on – there is a concern and a fear, says Jani Stjernström.
In some places, a bulletproof vest has been raised as an alternative for ambulance staff – and in Västra Götaland, they are buying their own vests, reported P4 Göteborg recently.
”Should always have police with”
But Jani Stjernström says that it will be a false sense of security.
The risk is that you then think you can go into dangerous situations and manage. But the vest does not protect against a blow to the head or a knife in the lower abdomen, she says.
She emphasizes that she understands the fear but wants to see that ambulance staff should completely avoid working in situations where a bulletproof vest may be needed.
We should always, in the event of threats and violence, or with mentally ill people who are outwardly aggressive, have police with us. That is, a breaking point where we stop until the police arrive.
Want to stop solo work
Instead, the Swedish Association of Health Professionals wants to see the regions take more responsibility, above all by stopping solo work within the ambulance service.
They also want ambulance staff to have the opportunity to access patient records to see if there is a pattern of violent behavior in the people they are to help – and that a change in the law should be made so that ambulance staff get access to "flagging" of addresses where there is a risk of threats and violence.
We are afraid that when employees buy bulletproof vests themselves, the employer may think that they are safe. Then, one does not take the measures that one must as an employer.
