00:00Paramedics putting their bodies on the line to help others.
00:06When you actually have to run for your life, that takes it up to another level.
00:13St John has now recorded 117 incidents of violence or threats against paramedics since January, including a spate overnight.
00:22In the Palmerston suburb of Grey, a paramedic was threatened with a knife while treating a patient.
00:28Rocks were thrown at an ambulance in nearby Woodruff.
00:32In Coconut Grove, paramedics were treating a patient when a group threatened to throw a shopping trolley at their ambulance.
00:39In the Darwin CBD, paramedics had to leave an aggressive patient.
00:44And paramedics withdrew from two call-outs in Alice Springs, delaying treatment for a heart attack patient.
00:51Earlier this week, a police officer was also knocked unconscious on the Tiwi Islands.
00:56The Chief Minister said it was disappointing and unacceptable that some individuals respond with violence and aggression against the very people there to help them.
01:05St John says they only ask police to attend call-outs where absolutely necessary, but sometimes even innocuous jobs turn violent.
01:14When it changes all of a sudden on you, that's something that's quite unexpected.
01:19When you've got somebody with a weapon that is threatening to kill you.
01:24St John held talks today, considering whether to bar paramedics from attending repeatedly risky addresses.
01:30What we're trying to do is actually stop our paramedics actually attending some of these cases that are really dangerous.
01:38That could mean slower response times and more pressure on police.
01:42If they need to contact police to attend that scene with them, then that's what's going to happen.
01:47If it gets to a situation where St John's can't attend a serious emergency, then it puts lives at risk.
01:55The government is hopeful new mandatory minimum sentences for physically assaulting frontline workers will drive down the violence.
02:03That adds a level of deterrent, but we continue to see these incidents occurring.
02:08A decision on new safety measures for NT Paramedics is expected tomorrow.
02:17For more UN videos visit www.un.org
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