By Danielle VandenBrink/The Whig-Standard
As a paramedic, Paul Charbonneau knows withstanding personal attacks can be part of the job.
“Having been a paramedic for as long as I have, I think you recognize that is probably not the way the (patient) is in any other situation,” said Charbonneau, director of Emergency and Transportation Services for the County of Frontenac.
Charbonneau has been working as a front-line emergency care paramedic for more than 30 years. So when a recent study linked the profession to high incidents of verbal, physical or sexual abuse, he wasn’t surprised.
“It’s very real,” he said. “I think the public are beginning to greater appreciate that this is real.”
The study, published in the January issue of Prehospital Emergency Care, asked more than 1,300 Emergency Medical Service workers in Ontario and Nova Scotia if they had been the victims of violence in the past 12 months.
Of the paramedics surveyed, more than two-thirds reported experiencing abuse.
Verbal abuse was the most commonly reported among 67% of paramedics surveyed, followed by intimidation with 41.5%.
About 26% of those polled reported being physically abused, about 14% reported sexual harassment and about 3% reported sexual assault.
When it comes to encountering abuse on the job, Charbonneau said Frontenac County paramedics are no exception.
Although he doesn’t compile any statistics on how many paramedics are assaulted each year, he said incidents do arise and are a concern to management.
He said paramedics get specific training while in school and on the job on how to deal with potentially harmful situations.
When a paramedic feels unsafe or encounters a volatile situation, Charbonneau said they have the option to wait for police and have an officer escort them to hospital.
“We’re not there to do anything but the medical care so we have to ensure that our safety is paramount when we encounter a violent situation,” he said. “If they’ve got to get out because the situation is escalating than (they are told to) get out whatever way you can.”
When a paramedic is assaulted, Charbonneau said, it’s reported to police.
“We won’t tolerate our paramedics being assaulted,” he said. “We ask the police to make charges if that happens and it becomes a police matter at that point.”
In the case of verbal attacks, Charbonneau said paramedics are expected to include incidents in a report at the end of their shift.
The incident is then reviewed by a supervisor and passed on to the deputy chief who may take action, he said.
“A lot of times they resolve themselves,” he said. “My experience is people will be boisterous and loud and verbally abusing people, and as the call goes on you’re doing you’re (job) and you’re helping the patient, they tend to calm down.”
“I think our profession has developed that people recognize paramedics are there to help.”
Charbonneau said he considers the recent study a step in the right direction in bringing awareness to the dangers of being a front-line emergency care provider.
“I think it’s valuable,” he said. “We have to ensure (abuse) doesn’t escalate and that paramedics get to do their job in a safe manner for both themselves and the patient.”
He said he hopes being aware of the issue will also aid in creating a more open environment for paramedics to report instances of abuse.
“When I started as a paramedic it was, ‘Suck it up, buttercup, it’s part of the job,’ ” he said. “Well it’s not part of the job, and employers cannot allow it to be part of the job.”
“We have to support our staff. Period.”
In Frontenac County, Charbonneau said paramedics have options available to them in dealing with work-related incidents, including visiting an on-site support worker.
“You have to be thick-skinned (to be a paramedic), but I think below that thick skin is a very caring and compassionate person,” he said. “You don’t get into this job if you don’t want to help people.”
