A 36-year-old man has been charged with assaulting two NSW Ambulance paramedics while being taken to hospital for treatment.
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They are the third assault on South Coast paramedics in the past week, promoting NSW Ambulance Illawarra Inspector Norm Rees saying he is sick of officers being used as "punching bags".
Paramedics had been called to the man in Queenborough Street, Nowra around 11pm on Saturday evening with reports the man was 'fitting', 'freaking out', 'highly agitated' and 'verbally abusive'.
The patient, who was believed to be intoxicated, was also described as being 'highly unpredictable' by family members.
The paramedics hadn't travelled far after picking the man up when it is alleged he stood up in the back of the ambulance, grabbed a defibrillator pack and went to throw it at the 43-year-old paramedic treating him.
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The 48-year-old male paramedic driving the ambulance stopped the vehicle and requested urgent police assistance.
It is understood the patient allegedly threatened to kill the paramedics and throw a defibrillator at them.
The patient then allegedly grabbed scissors, had to be wrestled to the floor and injured the paramedics with punches and kicks.
The two paramedics disarmed the man and restrained him until police arrived.
We are there to help people and they think it is okay to thump us.
- Inspector Norm Rees
The man was removed from the vehicle and further restrained by police with paramedics treating him before continuing transport to Shoalhaven Hospital under police escort.
The paramedics suffered minor abrasions during the incident.
He was released from hospital on Sunday and arrested by police and charged with two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and intimidation and was due to face Nowra Local Court on Monday.
Inspector Rees said assaults on paramedics was not good enough and it had to stop.
He condemned the alleged actions of the male patient
"No one deserved to be bashed, especially while they were at work," he said.
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"We are there to help people and they think it is okay to thump us.
"Officers used to be able to pull up and leave the keys in the car but now we have to lock up the car because people will pinch the drugs. It is not good."
Mr Rees praised the actions of NSW Ambulance for putting the safety of officers first and had put in place measures such as portable radios with enhanced duress capability and mandatory training.
"Ambulance NSW takes the safety of officers seriously," he said. "But that doesn't really help us at 3am when someone is trying to bash us."
A NSW Ambulance spokesman said paramedics had the support of the Minister and NSW Ambulance Commissioner Dominic Morgan to not enter a scene, or to withdraw from a scene where the situation was unsafe.
"Safety initiatives announced in May last year include mandatory face-to-face occupational violence prevention training for paramedics in de-escalating violent situations under a $3.3 million package aimed at improving their job safety," he said.
"NSW Ambulance has well established procedures for paramedics, operating as a single officer response, or as part of a paramedic crew, to stand off or retreat from an incident scene if there is a threat to paramedic safety."
Earlier this week, police will allege a 57-year-old was being treated by paramedics on the Princes Highway at Fairy Meadow about 6pm when she lashed out and grabbed a male paramedic around the throat.
That came two days after a female ambulance officer was punched in the face by an intoxicated man while on the job in Wollongong on Tuesday night.
Inspector Rees said he did not believe the assaults would deter officers from their work.
"I love my job and 95 per cent of my colleagues think the same way," he said. "Most people we talk to are disgusted with the assaults."
Unfortunately though these instances and abusive threats against paramedics are becoming all to increasingly common place.
Paramedics say they often face verbal abuse. Sometimes a daily occurrence.
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And the issue seems to be getting worse as paramedics face more and more people affected by drugs and alcohol, and on many occasions both.
"This is the worst physical incident a local paramedic has faced in a while," one staff member said, who didn't wanted to be named.
"Unfortunately verbal threats are now the norm - a daily occurrence and they often go undocumented as it is put down to the fact the patient is intoxicated or drug affected," he said.
"Physical assault in the back of an ambulance of the people there to treat and help you is not on. It's unacceptable behaviour by anyone."