By Olivia Mitchell
cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cleveland paramedics and emergency medical technicians are confronting a sharp increase in workplace violence, with many attackers facing minimal consequences, despite state laws meant to protect first responders.
Cleveland EMS has documented 30 reported assaults on workers since January 2023, according to Commander Jonathan Wearstler, who oversees EMS operations.
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The incidents have jumped — from six in 2023 to 11 in 2024 and 13 so far this year. The actual number is expected to be higher because some medics don’t report incidents they consider minor, Wearstler noted.
Charges were not filed in 11 of the 30 cases, representing 37% of reported assaults. Only four cases resulted in felony outcomes.
“I would like to see the courts take these cases more seriously and prosecute these individuals to the highest extent of the law,” Wearstler said. “It cannot be acceptable to assault our public servants and people that are coming out to help you.”
The attacks are taking a toll on workers’ attendance and health. EMS employees miss an average of 26 days of work following assaults, according to Wearstler. Two paramedics assaulted in October 2024 sustained wrist injuries and remain off work.
One recent incident captured on video showed a woman attacking two EMS workers immediately after they exited the ambulance. The call had been for someone walking in the street, possibly under the influence of alcohol. One paramedic lost a large swath of hair in the attack, Wearstler said.
Common assaults include punching, scratching, choking, spitting and biting, with spitting raising additional concerns about bloodborne diseases.
Timothy Sommerfelt, the vice president of the Cleveland Association for Rescue Employees and a paramedic, described being assaulted within the past year.
“I was punched in the face,” he said. “We were called by police to the scene for an intoxicated individual, and despite our best efforts to de-escalate, the individual hit me in the face while we were attempting to provide medical care.”
His attacker received 18 months’ probation with alcohol treatment conditions, Sommerfelt said.
Despite Ohio law classifying paramedics as public safety officers, legal penalties for assaulting EMS workers differ significantly from those for attacking police officers.
An assault on an EMS worker is a misdemeanor offense but can be upgraded to a fourth-degree felony if serious injury occurs, according to Cuyahoga County prosecutors. The charge carries a maximum of six to 18 months in prison with a presumption of probation.
“Sentencing is on a case-by-case basis and is decided by a judge based on the charge and level of harm,” said Alexandria Bauer, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office.
However, assaulting a police officer in Ohio can result in two to 10 years in prison.
The disparity is particularly stark given that EMS workers lack the protection police officers have. EMS workers carry no weapons and have minimal training on defending themselves against attackers.
“Unlike a police officer getting assaulted, they have weapons, they have self-defense training, they have a lot of other tools,” Wearstler said. “We’re going out there with our hands and hearts.”
Sommerfelt said EMS providers are increasingly handling calls that police once managed, leaving providers to encounter violent attackers.
He linked the rise in attacks to a dramatic decrease in police arrests in Cleveland. In 2012, police made more than 35,000 arrests. In 2022, that number decreased to a little more than 7,000, data shows.
City officials have said the department is now targeting repeat offenders and focusing on neighborhoods where crime is highest. Others cite a police department with about 1,200 officers, as opposed to 1,600 in recent years. The city’s population also dropped about 8% since 2012 to about 360,000.
“A lot of those people who used to go to jail are now ending up in EMS ambulances and in the emergency room,” Sommerfelt said.
“Society is asking for a medical solution to a lot of the issues that we have in the world, and that’s fine because we’re here to serve, but we need to make sure that we’re also protecting the healthcare workers.”
The division, which employs approximately 300 EMS workers, is now exploring self-defense training options. Wearstler emphasized that the goal would be “creating separation so that they can evacuate to a safer location” rather than equipping medics with weapons.
Once a worker is attacked, the psychological impact extends beyond physical recovery. After an attack, workers have anxiety and worry if they will be assaulted again, said Wearstler, who worked as a paramedic before becoming a commander.
Conversations between city safety officials and prosecutors are underway to address the lack of accountability. Union representatives are calling for a joint response system, where police, EMS and mental health professionals all arrive together for potentially dangerous calls.
There are concerns that failing to address these safety issues could impact recruitment and retention of EMS personnel in Cleveland.
“We need to go ahead and make sure that we can guarantee the safety of the people that we’re asking to perform these services,” Sommerfelt said.
Despite these challenges, he emphasized his passion for the profession.
“I love being a paramedic,” Sommerfelt said. “It’s an awesome, incredible job. Our people sign up because they want to be helpers. And we want to let them continue to be helpers and to focus on helping people, not have to worry that they’re going to be hurt or injured when they come to work.”
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