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AMR officials evaluate safety of EMS providers after stabbing

Officials said an incident in which a paramedic was stabbed inside of an ambulance at a red light highlights the dangers EMS providers face in the field

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By EMS1 Staff

PORTLAND, Ore. — American Medical Response officials are considering ways to increase safety for EMS providers in the field after a paramedic was stabbed inside of an ambulance.

AMR Operations Manager Rob McDonald told KATU that a recent incident in which a paramedic was stabbed at a red light while trying to de-escalate a situation is unlike anything he’s seen in his 15 years with the company.

“Something like this, where we are in the vehicle, driving, operating in normal traffic, it’s brazen,” McDonald said. “This is really a new level.”

McDonald said Jeremiah Ray was able to get the door of the ambulance open because it was unlocked, highlighting a weakness in AMR’s safety plan.

“Some of our vehicles auto-lock, some don’t, but with an event like this, we have to self-reflect and see if we need to install a mechanism for them to do that,” he said. “We arrive at a scene where we have no reason to believe that there’s going to be any violence or unsafe scenario, yet we’ll still encounter that.”

McDonald added that the stabbed paramedic is doing OK.