The New York Post recently picked up two reports on the increase in attacks on FDNY EMS responders by emotionally disturbed people.
According to the Post, assaults on medics are up 36 percent in 2019, translating to 146 responders being attacked. In 2018, the report noted that 129 paramedics and EMTs were assaulted on the job.
This comes amid a doubling of 911 calls over the past decade regarding emotionally disturbed people, the Post reports, but questioned the current mayoral administration’s response to the mental health crisis.
A separate report from the Associated Press detailed how private EMS employees in Portland, Oregon, were undertaking self-defense training to deal with being attacked on the job. The report also noted the growing number of 911 calls about people in mental health or drug-related crises.
RELATED TRAINING
Free Firefighters/EMT Self-Defense Program Available
The Downstream Effect of Acts of Violence Against First Responders
