‘We’re not there to get sworn at. We’re trying to do our job, we’re not there to be abused’: Paramedic shares difficulties of attending alcohol-fuelled jobs

AN INCREASE in alcohol-fuelled incidents are stretching resources so thin that a paramedic says they can barely spell their own name due to extreme exhaustion

AN INCREASE in alcohol-fuelled incidents are stretching resources so thin that a paramedic says they can barely spell their own name at the end of a shift due to extreme exhaustion.

The paramedic, who did not want to be named, said in recent weeks and months there was a spike in call-outs for alcohol-related incidents particularly in the Darwin region.

“When we were in lockdown with COVID, the workload in Darwin dropped by 30 per cent. Now we have a multifaceted problem,” they said.

“The amount of assaults is crazy. It ties in with the current situation of anti-social behaviour in town and what we’re seeing on the ground is not getting better.

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“A lot of it’s avoidable … Our resources are being taken up by anti-social behaviours. Serious conditions are often waiting for an ambulance to become available.

“The violence towards paramedics (is bad) as well. We’re not there to get sworn at. We’re trying to do our job, we’re not there to be abused.”

The paramedic said being inundated with so many violent incidents was pushing them to their physical and mental brink. “The minimum requirement in a 12-hour shift is two regularly spaced breaks,” they said.

“Sometimes towards the end of a busy night shift I’m almost to the point I can hardly spell my own name.

“We’re expected to still function and still look after people, administer drugs and calculate doses. We accept with some shifts things are going to go wrong but it’s happening on a consistent basis. It’s become the new normal.

“We haven’t got enough people on the ground. If they take alcohol out of the equation, we’d have enough crews.”

St John NT chief executive Judith Barker said violent behaviour towards paramedics was unacceptable.

“They’re (paramedics choosing to work in a job where they help people. They’re not choosing to work in a job where they’re setting themselves up to be assaulted,” she said.

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“We need to keep engaging with people at all levels from government down to community, and it’s a problem for all of us. Yes paramedics are unfortunately exposed to a lot of assaults but beyond that it’s a huge health problem for the Territory.”

Ms Barker also said St John was working with a fatigue management group to implement fatigue policies to assist paramedics with breaks.

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