St John appeals to community after attack

THE St John Ambulance officers responding to emergencies in the communities continue to face attacks by people under the influence of alcohol, an official says.
Last weekend, while on route to respond to an emergency, an ambulance was attacked and damaged near Sabusa village in Central which brought the number of attacks on ambulances in the province this year to three and five throughout the country. A male suspect implicated in the attack was brought by the members of the community who were remorseful at the incident and pledged to pay for repairs.
The suspect at that time was allegedly drunk and threw a rock which broke through the rear wind shield leaving a large hole, however, no one was hurt.
Acting assistant chief of the ambulance service, Terrence Torea, said St John officers continued to face threats to their safety when they are called out to respond to emergencies.
“We want the public to understand what we do, and that St John is there to help people in their time of need,” he said.
“Our ambulance officers put their lives on the line each day when they go out to respond to emergencies and should be protected at all costs against unruly behaviour from the public.
“Damages to our ambulances also cause major delays to respond to other emergencies when an ambulance is taken off the road.
“An ambulance going off road for repairs will delay response time to attending to cases.
“This means more lives will be at stake when emergency help and support is required the most. We appeal to communities to help us do our jobs safely and without fear or harm.”