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Katie Woolf spoke with St Johns Northern Regional Manager Andrew Everingham · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Well, it's always a busy evening for our frontline services,
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: whether it's our territory police or our paramedics. And joining
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: me on the line right now is the Saint John
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: Northern Regional Manager Andrew Everingham. Good morning to you, Andrew.
• 0:15
  Speaker 2: Morning Katie. How are you?
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: Yeah, not too bad now, Andrew, I understand unfortunately overnight
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: paramedic assaulted.
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: Yeah. Look, this is another very frustrating situation, an incident.
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: One of our paramedics was attending to a patient in
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: mold And last night when he was struck to the
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: chest by the patient. Thankfully, the paramedics were able to
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: flee the same but while they were doing so, they're
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: actually pelted with rocks and projectiles by the mail also,
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  Speaker 2: so thankfully our paramedics are okay, and also our vehicle
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: hasn't the same too much stamage. But this is off
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: the back of a recent incident a couple of weeks
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  Speaker 2: ago in Catherine where one of the vehicles was actually
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: smashed with another projectile rock and that vehicle has been
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: taken off nine for a number of weeks. So it
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: looked really frustrating and just appinting.
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: Into that absolutely and we've caught up with Craig Garaway
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  Speaker 1: about that other incident a few weeks back. It was
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: disappointing to hear that one, but then the fact that
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: somebody's actually struck a paramedic. Was that with their fists
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: or was it with an object?
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: Yeah, look, allegially it was with a fish. So he's
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: punched the male and male paramedic that thankfully he was
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: able to retreat and both the crew members were a
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: treat and get out of there without further damage. But
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: this is really, you know, really frustrating and really sense
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: of violence. We're up to close to thirty physical attacks
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: against our paramedics and patient transport offices this year today,
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: which is just you know, obviously really scary for everyone involved.
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: And attacks from our staff and property, you know, have
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  Speaker 2: the potential to limit our staff's access to do their job,
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  Speaker 2: which is providing life saving treatment to members of our community.
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: They come to work every day to care for the
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: community and just like any other job and people doing
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: their job, they have the right to do this without
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: fear of being attacked.
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely they do. It's disgraceful that anybody would do this.
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  Speaker 1: Now I'm glad to hear that those paramedics are Okay,
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  Speaker 1: talk me through the damage that has been done to
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: the vehicle and whether that's going to mean that it's offline.
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: It looks like this incident that we haven't got any
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: mage of damage to the vehicle thankfully, so we're able
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: to keep that, you know, and that emerges the ambulance
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: on the road. But the incident that happening Kafa a
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: number of weeks ago, it's still off line, it's my understanding,
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: and obviously we've got a finite number of resources. So
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: this has the potential obviously to impact our service delivery
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: for the community. And we saw back in July another
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: emence was taken off the road in our Springs flowing
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: a similar concident.
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I just think it's really ordinary behavior, and that's
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: putting it nicely. It's terrible behavior really to have a go,
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  Speaker 1: particularly physically at our paramedics, like you said, when they're
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: out there trying to help people, and then when they're
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: in a situation where they're fleeing and people are throwing rocks.
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: It's just not good enough.
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: Really, isn't. And we'll look, we're at a bit of
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: a loss, you know. Some years ago we put together
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: an occupation of working to try to look at any
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: measures we could put in place to protect her, to
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: protect our staff from occupational bonds. We saw some of
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: the worst data on record of the number of assaults
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: and physical abuse against our staff, and unfortunately, that is
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: a trend that has seemed to continue over the last
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: few years. It's growing and it's growing. It's not just
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: the territory problem, unfortunately, is a national problem. But you know,
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: we are just at a loss about trying to appeal
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  Speaker 2: to the community to let our paramedics give them space,
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  Speaker 2: let them do the job that they're therefore, which is
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: to literally care for the community that's being injured, the vulnerable.
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: And it's just it's senseless and just so disappointing.
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: Yeah, it really is. Now I'm assuming that police are
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: investigating the incident that took place overnight.
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so the matter has been reported to police and
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: will await the outcome. Yeah.
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: Look, like I said, I just think it's really terrible
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: when you see people conducting themselves in this way towards
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: those that are actually trying to help them within the community.
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: It's quite unbelievable to me. And then the fact that
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: you know, We've already got a vehicle that's offline from
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: an incident in Catherine, and then you've got that situation
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: overnight where people are throwing rocks at our paramedics. I mean,
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  Speaker 1: do you think that there are changes that need to
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: come into play, Andrew, or is it really just you know,
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: the minority that are doing the wrong thing here?
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and it is. It's definitely the minority. And you know,
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: we have an amazing community, a territories terrific and the
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: majority of people are doing the right thing. We would
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: just appeal to people if you are understand We understand
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: that they can these types of emergency situations. People can
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: have a lot of anxiety. It's very emotive. But if
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: you do see someone your family member, you may are
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: passed by. Given the paramedics brief when they are trying
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  Speaker 2: to help, just remind them, you know, tell them to
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: move back some space and tell me doing the wrong
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: things because you're right, it is the majority, oh sorry,
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  Speaker 2: the minority, Yeah, and the majority of territory and are
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: doing the right thing now.
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: Just to confirm, so that incident overnight was in Molden.
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: What time did it happen?
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: About approximately nine point thirty pm.
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: Yeah, goodness me now, just very quickly, Andrew, I understand
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: or I am seeing that it's been reported in the
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: paper online that a man collided with a pig this
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: morning or overnight as well, out in the rural area
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: in his vehicle.
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: Yeah. Look, that's a very unusual case. Obviously I don't
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: have all the details in front of me at the moment. Yeah, look,
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: a very strange incident and something that we don't often
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: go to. But obviously in the rural area, you know,
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: these types of accidents can happen, and we just hope
• 5:49
  Speaker 2: that the patient sustained minor injuries. But it looks at
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: it and they should make a quick recovery.
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: Yeah, let's hope, so we'll makee all the best.
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: To you.
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: Please let your staff know that you know, the community,
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: the wider community definitely supports them and the wonderful work
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: that they do. I find it so disappointing every time
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: that I hear that, you know, somebody behaves in this
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: way towards our paramedics. But mate, thank you guys for
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: the work that you do and the way that you
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: care for territorians.
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: No worries. Thanks so much for your work Catie, thank you.
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: Thank you. That is Saint John's Northern regional manager Andrew
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: Everingham there, and I tell you what, it is disgraceful
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: every time we hear about an incident like this, particularly
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: when you've got those paramedics scene, one of them allegedly struck,
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: and then as they're leaving the scene having rocks thrown
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: at them. It's disgraceful.