{"id":451404,"date":"2022-05-23T02:12:13","date_gmt":"2022-05-22T23:12:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/more-ny-ems-workers-are-getting-attacked-on-the-job\/"},"modified":"2022-05-23T02:12:13","modified_gmt":"2022-05-22T23:12:13","slug":"more-ny-ems-workers-are-getting-attacked-on-the-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/more-ny-ems-workers-are-getting-attacked-on-the-job\/","title":{"rendered":"#More NY EMS workers are getting attacked on the job"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a23a677a471d\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a23a677a471d\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/more-ny-ems-workers-are-getting-attacked-on-the-job\/#%E2%80%9CMore_NY_EMS_workers_are_getting_attacked_on_the_job%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;More NY EMS workers are getting attacked on the job&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CMore_NY_EMS_workers_are_getting_attacked_on_the_job%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;More NY EMS workers are getting attacked on the job&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>They\u2019re helping to save lives \u2014 while their own are being threatened.<\/p>\n<p>Assaults and other threats leveled against emergency medical service workers are almost\u00a0a daily occurrence \u2014 skyrocketing 137% from 2018 through last year,\u00a0according to city data obtained exclusively by The Post.<\/p>\n<p>The staggering numbers come as just last week  Staten Island emergency medical technician Richard McMahon was blasted in the shoulder by a drunk patient in the back of an ambulance. <\/p>\n<p>The number\u00a0of \u201cworkplace\u00a0violence\u201d incidents involving first responders like McMahon more than doubled from 163 in 2018 to 386 last year \u2014 evidence that ambulance crews regularly face life-threatening dangers.<\/p>\n<p>The number of incidents first jumped to 217 in 2019 and then surged to 329 during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.<\/p>\n<p>Logs reviewed by The Post show EMTS\u00a0and paramedics are routinely\u00a0punched, kicked, bitten, spit on and threatened by patients brandishing knives and other weapons \u2014 many emotionally\u00a0disturbed or high on drugs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnfortunately, it\u2019s the world we live in. It h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ens much more than it\u2019s made public,\u201d McMahon told The Post while recovering at home after surviving the terrifying ordeal last week.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/staten-island-emt.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"NYPD at the scene of where EMT Richard McMahon was shot while treating a patient in Staten Island on May 18, 2022.\" class=\"wp-image-22369440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/staten-island-emt.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/staten-island-emt.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/staten-island-emt.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>NYPD at the scene of where EMT Richard McMahon was shot while treating a patient in Staten Island on May 18, 2022.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">NY Post Photo\/Chad Rachman<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/thomas-mccauley-01.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Thomas McCauley allegedly shot McMahon in his shoulder inside the ambulance.\" class=\"wp-image-22369451\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/thomas-mccauley-01.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/thomas-mccauley-01.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/thomas-mccauley-01.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Thomas McCauley allegedly shot McMahon in his shoulder inside the ambulance.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">BRIGITTE STELZER<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Oren Barzilay, head of the Local 2507 union representing EMTS, paramedics and fire inspectors, blamed a\u00a0worsening mental-health crisis on top of state lawmakers passing soft-on-crime policies, such as the no-cash bail law, for causing the increase in attacks on EMS workers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s disturbing to see these incidents of violence on the rise,\u201d he said. \u201c\u201dBail reform has certainly had an impact.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Queens Councilwoman Joanna Ariola, who chairs the committee overseeing fire and emergency services, said tougher bail laws and beefed-up police manpower are needed to help protect ambulance crews on 911 calls.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/richad-mcmahon.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"McMahon showing his injury after getting released from the hospital.\" class=\"wp-image-22369458\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/richad-mcmahon.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/richad-mcmahon.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/richad-mcmahon.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>McMahon showing his injury after getting released from the hospital.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Kevin Sheehan<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/richard-mcmahon-01.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"According to McMahon, attacks on EMTs happen &quot;much more than it's made public.&quot;\" class=\"wp-image-22369467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/richard-mcmahon-01.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/richard-mcmahon-01.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/richard-mcmahon-01.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>According to McMahon, attacks on EMTs happen \u201cmuch more than it\u2019s made public.\u201d<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Paul Martinka<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cEMS workers have never been more at risk,\u201d she said. \u201cWe just had an EMT who was shot.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The city\u2019s medics have been at the tip of the spear for both the city\u2019s public health and crime crises.\u00a0They were the first to approach and treat seriously ill COVID-19 patients during the worst of the pandemic.<\/p>\n<p>Three EMS workers told The Post that they are increasingly risking their lives in order to do their jobs.<\/p>\n<p>Alexander Kaplan, a 40-year-old paramedic assigned to EMS Station 44 in Brownsville, Brooklyn, is currently on the shelf with a line-of-duty knee injury after being attacked by an emotionally disturbed patient.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/alexander-kaplan.jpg?w=480\" alt=\"Brooklyn paramedic Alexander Kaplan was attacked by an emotionally disturbed patient earlier this month.\" class=\"wp-image-22369478\" width=\"279\" height=\"276\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/alexander-kaplan.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=414 418w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/alexander-kaplan.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=276 279w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/alexander-kaplan.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=138 139w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/alexander-kaplan.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 279px) 100vw, 279px\"\/><figcaption>Brooklyn paramedic Alexander Kaplan was attacked by an emotionally disturbed patient earlier this month.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Alexander Kaplan<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Kaplan had transported a patient to a Brooklyn hospital on the night of May 14. While there, another patient got up and was throwing punches at a police officer \u2014 and Kaplan and his partner went over to help the cop restrain the patient.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe patient violently kicked the back of both\u00a0of my legs. I fell down to the ground and he proceeded to kick me on my side and my back,\u201d the 16-year EMS veteran worker said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNobody knew why this guy became so violent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kelley Gumbs, 45, an emergency medical technician, said he\u2019s been attacked three times by patients in recent years.<\/p>\n<p>He recalled responding to a 911 call to treat an intoxicated man, who was homeless, at the Eastern Parkway subway station in Brooklyn. Gumbs said the patient was initially \u201ccool with us\u201d but he got agitated after being sent to Kings County Hospital, which informed him it did not have a detox unit to treat him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe flipped on me. He said, \u2018You\u2019re a liar.\u2019 I apologized to him. I helped him back into the bed in the ER and he socked me in the mouth,\u201d Gumbs said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m tired of being attacked. I\u2019m tired of my brothers and sisters being attacked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another EMS worker, Karen, has also seen her fair share of terrifying incidents. Her unit recently responded to an emergency call for an emotionally disturbed patient in northern Manhattan.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/emt-kelley-gumbs-01.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"EMT Kelley Gumbs said he has been attacked three times by patients in recent years.\" class=\"wp-image-22369482\" width=\"349\" height=\"321\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/emt-kelley-gumbs-01.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=690 698w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/emt-kelley-gumbs-01.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=517 523w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/emt-kelley-gumbs-01.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=345 349w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/emt-kelley-gumbs-01.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=172 174w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/emt-kelley-gumbs-01.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 349px) 100vw, 349px\"\/><figcaption>EMT Kelley Gumbs said he has been attacked three times by patients in recent years.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The patient was handcuffed from behind but while being transported in the ambulance to the hospital, he banged his head against the wall. He then started shifting his hands to reach for a gun in the back of his jeans before it was discovered and taken away from him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been threatened. I\u2019ve been kicked in the face by a patient. I\u2019ve been spit at,\u201d said Karen.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have a family to go home to. We just want to help people. We don\u2019t want to get attacked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The EMS workers said the most anxious moments during shifts is getting a 911 cause \u201cunknown\u201d call \u2014 like the one McMahon got.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s worrisome because you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re getting into. It\u2019s our job to respond and find out what the problem is. You have to be super observant on the job,\u201d Karen said.<\/p>\n<p>The FDNY, which runs the EMS service, decried assaults against its medics.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAny act of violence against a member of EMS is despicable. EMTs and Paramedics bravely serve New Yorkers and respond to each call with one goal \u2014 to save lives by providing outstanding emergency medical care,\u201d Acting Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said Sunday.<\/p>\n<p>The FDNY, in a statement, said it encourages its workers to report all incidents of workplace violence \u2014 including both physical and verbal assaults \u2014 and requires officers to document the cases.<\/p>\n<p>FDNY EMS also \u201chas improved communications training and self-defense\/de-escalation training for all members, including new hires, in response to these incidents.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The department has also released public\u00a0service announcements about workplace\u00a0violence, emphasizing that assaulting an EMS member is a felony.\n                        <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/05\/22\/more-ny-ems-workers-are-getting-attacked-on-the-job\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;More NY EMS workers are getting attacked on the job&#8221; They\u2019re helping to save lives \u2014 while their own are being threatened. Assaults and other threats leveled against emergency medical service workers are almost\u00a0a daily occurrence \u2014 skyrocketing 137% from 2018 through last year,\u00a0according to city data obtained exclusively by The Post. The staggering numbers&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":451405,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/newspress-collage-22368893-1653259149793.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&1653244801&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[129533,70377,70969,70344,4998,73131,92863,71431,86969,71556],"class_list":["post-451404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-5-22-22","tag-assaults","tag-attacks","tag-coronavirus-in-ny","tag-crime","tag-ems","tag-emts","tag-mental-illness","tag-paramedics","tag-staten-island"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/451404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=451404"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/451404\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/451405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=451404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=451404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=451404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}