CLEVELAND — After a Cleveland paramedic was violently assaulted and dragged by her hair during an emergency call, a local police department is stepping in with a potential solution: specialized self-defense training tailored for unarmed first responders.
The University Circle Police Department offered a free self-defense course at its training facility, open to paramedics, EMTs and crisis intervention specialists from across the region.
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The training comes as Cleveland EMS faces a rising number of assaults, with 30 EMTs attacked since early 2023, Commander Jonathan Wearstler said.
“We respond to over a hundred thousand calls a year for service,” Wearstler said. “And in the past two years, we’ve had roughly 30 employees assaulted on the street. So even though it doesn’t happen every day, it happens way too much.”
Video of the assault underscored how vulnerable EMS crews can be. Two Cleveland EMTs were attacked while treating an overdose patient. Both have since returned to duty, but University Circle Police Chief Tom Wetzel said the injuries deeply affected him.
“When I heard about that, somebody was seriously injured and saw a picture of the girl’s head, it really bothered me,” Wetzel said. “And I know we’ve got an expert here that can handle this.”
EMTs and paramedics will learn to spot red flags before violence breaks out, such as clenched fists, altered breathing and hard staring, and how to control an attacker’s hands, shield vulnerable areas like the jaw and temples, and escape if they’re taken to the ground. The course also emphasizes verbal de-escalation techniques that can be used alongside defensive positioning.
Cleveland EMS is still evaluating whether to officially adopt the training program.
Does your department or agency offer self-defense and/or de-escalation training?
EMS1 readers respond
“Yes we do thankfully. I am truly tired of reading articles like this that start with AFTER the provider was assaulted. We are 20 years behind with this training at best. When will EMS as a whole start being proactive?”
