Crime against paramedics and emergency services is a growing concern for local motorcycle club, Firefighters Joburg.
Although the crimes against the first responders differ, the severity of the crimes does not.
Jan Liebenberg, president of the motorcycle club, said while attempting to save a patient’s life paramedics are robbed of medication and even raped.
He said the rapes occur specifically when it is two female first responders on their own.
Liebenberg added that there have been incidents where the Jaws of Life and hydraulic rescue tools have been stolen from fire stations.
The Jaws of Life is then used in cash-in-transit heists.
To create awareness about this concern, the motorcycle club together with director, Donald Zastron, recently came together in Modderfontein to kickstart an emergency services safety awareness campaign.
The club and director filmed a commercial to bring the concern of safety of emergency services personnel to the public’s attention.
The Bedfordview and Edenvale News, the GCN’s sister newspaper, was granted access during the production day.
Liebenberg said the commercial will focus on the safety challenges emergency services face when trying to save lives.
He said that following the recent shooting of a paramedic in Pretoria, his concerns grew.
“Little has been done to address the safety concerns of emergency services,” said Liebenberg.
Liebenberg said he’s concerned that if nothing is done about first responders’ safety, fewer emergency services personnel will come to scenes that need their attention.
Something needs to be done.
“By the time paramedics have organised a police escort to accompany them into dangerous situations, patients have sometimes died already,” said Liebenberg.
A solution Liebenberg offered was providing paramedics with bulletproof vests or adequate training in how to react to aggressive or tense situations.
He hopes that by ensuring the safety of emergency services personnel, more patients will be treated and more lives can be saved.
Producer and director of the commercial, Zastron, said he hopes the commercial will reach as many people as possible.
Zastron said although there is some awareness on the matter of safety of emergency services more needs to be raised.
He believes this commercial will be the beginning of the campaign for creating greater awareness.
Zastron said the commercial will be focussed on a scene of an accident where a paramedic can be seen with a gun to his head while a patient lies on the road.
Public relations officer of the motorcycle club, Henry Hahn, said the club is excited to be supporting the awareness campaign.
“Ensuring the safety of emergency services personnel not only benefits bikers but everyone,” said Hahn.
Hahn said besides Firefighters Joburg MC, other biking fraternities have rallied behind the campaign.
He added that violence against paramedics and other emergency personnel is unacceptable.
The commercial will be finalised London and then brought back to South Africa.
Liebenberg said once in SA, the finished version will be distributed to as many people as possible.
Zastron added that posters, creating awareness, will also hopefully be distributed across the country.
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