With all the focus on the NFL and emergency response, we once again are forced to experience the highs and lows of the profession. On the same day that the NFL and Buffalo Bills celebrated the quick actions of Assistant Athletic Training Denny Kellington for his actions and the actions of all the responding medical teams during the event we witnessed with the medical emergency suffered by Bills safety Damar Hamlin, those watching the Lions and Packers play Sunday night witnessed the action against one of the medical support team.
While attending to an injured Detroit Lions D’Andre Swith, two players from the Green Bay Packers had an unfortunate interaction with a member of the Lions medical team. Green Bay Packers Quay Walker is seen pushing one of the medical staff and Devonte Wyatt is then seen bumping into the same staff member.
While often associated with the emotions and stress of the situations where EMS providers interact with the public, assaults against emergency medical services workers area skyrocketing over 130% since 2018 as reported by the NY Post.
Career exposure to violence ranging from verbal abuse to actual physical abuse and acts of violence, as high as 93% of EMS responders are reporting at least one instance in their careers.1 A 2018 study in PreHospital Disaster Medicine found that in the U.S. EMS responders are 22 times more likely to be injured due to workplace violence than other occupations.2
This violence against EMS responders has become so common that in 2019 the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT) conducted a survey to gain a better understanding on this phenomenon and provided some insight into what can be done.
This trend seems to be on the rise, reported in the Star Tribune on Dec. 11, 2022, by Andy Mannix, as surveys conducted with Hennepin (MN) County EMS found that 92% of their staff feel that EMS has gotten more dangerous since entering the profession, 87% have been affected by gun violence in their daily job operations, 78% have been physically assaulted by a patient or bystander and 75% have been affected by projective violent in their daily job operations.
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When faced with the worst possible events anyone can imagine, the EMS responders continue to answer the calls for help. Some say heroes, for the responders they say “it was just my job and I’m here to help my community,” but that job is becoming more difficult as violence towards the providers continue to be common place.
With all the positive light shown on the events surround Mr. Hamlin’s event, the negative aspects of the jobs must be equally recognized so that we can move forward and make our communities better for all.
References
- Murray RM, Davis AL, Shepler LJ, et al. A Systematic Review of Workplace Violence Against Emergency Medical Services Responders. NEW SOLUTIONS: A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy. 2020;29(4):487-503. doi:10.1177/1048291119893388
- Maguire, B.J., Browne, M., O’Neill. B.J., Dealy, M.T., Clare, D., O’Meara, P. (2018). International Survey of Violence Against EMS Personnel: Physical Violence Report, Prehospital Disaster Medicine, Oct; 33(5):526-531. doi: 10.1017/ S1049023X18000870. 5. Grange, J. & Corbett, S. (2002).
