Ambulance crews under siege

AMBULANCES

Escorts needed to go into New Brighton after 20 attacks in 22 months

AMBULANCE crews in Nelson Mandela Bay are “under siege” by criminals – and people are dying because the medics have to wait for police escorts before entering what have become no-go areas.

Ambulance personnel were instructed recently not to enter New Brighton without being accompanied by armed police.

“We are talking about a volatile situation,” Emergency Medical Service (EMS) head Brenhan Metune said, pointing out that there was, on average, one attack a month against ambulance crews.

“EMS practitioners are trained that their safety always comes first, as a dead rescuer can’t rescue anybody,” he said.

One health department official said the attacks on emergency service workers were as devastating as police killings.

EMS officer Monwabisi Booysen, one of the many ambulance crew members who face violent crime while out on the job, said: “People are dying because we cannot fetch them.

“We know helping us is not always the police’s priority.

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