EMS Workers Face Dangers At Crime Scenes
Posted June 29, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Paramedics are accustomed to delving into harrowing situations and staring death in the face on a daily basis, but it’s usually not their own lives that are in peril.
That all changed on Thursday when a crazed gunman began shooting in a seemingly indiscriminate fashion in the Regent Park area. Superivsor paramedic Brian Toshoff, who was called to scene to pick up a victim of the flying bullets, found himself in the line of fire.
“One went in the front of the hood, lodged in the engine. And another one just off the top,” he said while surveying his bullet ridden ambulance.
“He took a shot as he was running,” he adds. “I could I see the flame from the gun.”
On average paramedics get six calls on a 12-hour shift and they range from routine to dangerous. Regardless, they are adamant about maintaining their cool despite the circumstances.
“When people are in distress, they look to us for calmness and reassurance,” said paramedic Carl Rotmann.
Paramedics are not required to wear bulletproof vests but many are starting to don them, usually at the request of their families.
