By Flint McColgan
Boston Herald
BOSTON — The union for Boston EMS is incensed by “unacceptable violence” encountered by emergency medical technicians following two separate Wednesday night attacks.
EMTs and paramedics, the Boston Emergency Medical Services division of the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association said, “are healthcare professionals and public servants — not punching bags.”
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“When two EMTs are assaulted violently enough to require treatment at the hospital within a matter of hours, we have a serious problem that cannot be ignored,” Jason Yutkins, president of the BPPA-EMS Division, said in a statement. “When you assault an EMT you’re not just attacking a healthcare worker; you’re taking an ambulance and its crew away from the next person who desperately needs them.”
The union says that the two attacks Wednesday night resulted in injuries to “the head, face, neck, and upper extremities.”
The first of these was during a response to a medical emergency at Boston Logan International Airport, to which members of the Massachusetts State Police also responded.
At around 3:30 p.m., there was some kind of incident between two passengers at Gate B18, according to an MSP spokeswoman. Troopers were able to separate the two combatants and found that one of them needed medical attention and called Boston EMS to the scene.
When EMS arrived, one of the people, a 28-year-old Boston woman, allegedly became “combative” toward both the troopers and EMS personnel. During the attack, according to the MSP, was injured and taken to a hospital for evaluation.
The alleged aggressor was restrained and taken to the hospital. The MSP says they will issue a criminal summons for assault and battery on ambulance personnel and assault on ambulance personnel.
The later incident was at Andrew MBTA station, according to the union. The Herald reached out to Transit Police for the report on this incident but did not receive an immediate response.
The union says that both assaulted EMTs were discharged from their respective hospitals.
“Our members will continue to answer the call for the people of Boston, but they have an absolute right to expect that they will return home safely at the end of their shift,” Yutkins, the union president, said. “Assaulting an EMT or healthcare provider is not an occupational hazard we are willing to accept.”
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