By Cam Lucadou-Wells
The gathering was only meant to be small.
But when paramedic Nathaniel Zahariou and his partner arrived at an emergency callout, they were overwhelmed by frantic, heavily intoxicated swarms of party goers.
In a home at the end of a long driveway was the patient – drunk, agitated, and suffering self-inflicted serious cuts.
He was held down by three friends while he was kicking and screaming.
All the while, his distressed friends got in the faces of the paramedics.
The scene was just too volatile. The Ambulance Victoria paramedics had to take a step back.
They walked back to the ambulance and waited for police back-up to disperse the crowd and to make the scene safe.
Mr Zahariou – an Advanced Life Support paramedic and educator – tells his story as part of a Crime Stoppers Victoria podcast First Responders: Australian Stories.
The series features first responders from ESTA 000, Crime Stoppers Victoria, Ambulance Victoria, Victoria Police, VICSES, Fire Rescue Victoria and Life Saving Victoria.
It reminds the public of the rising abuse, violence and distress met by emergency workers. And the need for respect.
Mr Zahariou, who started out as a paramedic in Dandenong seven years ago, says it’s a chance to educate the public about the violence and aggression he faces on the job.
The drunken party is just one example.
“We got overwhelmed by the amount of people there, the level of intoxication and also the risk of violence,” Mr Zahariou said.
“People were being a lot more confrontational, lot more boisterous than usual – there were too many red flags.”
As they retreated, they were confronted by the patient’s friends demanding to know why the ambos weren’t helping.
“We needed to be safe to perform our role effectively. If we don’t feel safe and supported, it puts us in jeopardy.
“Ambulance Victoria always say they have zero tolerance for violence against their staff. Its staff’s welfare is paramount.”
Recent crime statistics reported a sizeable 17 per cent rise in assaults on emergency services workers in 2020.
Crime Stoppers Victoria chief executive Stella Smith said it made “absolutely no sense” to abuse first responders.
“First responders leave their homes every day to protect us; they shouldn’t have to take abuse from the public home with them.
“These are the very people we rely on in a crisis and we expect them to help us when we need them.”
Details: www.crimestoppersvic.com.au/first-responders-podcast
