Seattle firefighters and EMS personnel may get new protections under proposed legislation before city officials.
"SFD personnel have experienced more than 50 instances of this workplace violence in the last six months. Today, it’s not only occurring at incident scenes but elsewhere in the community as we perform other aspects of our job, such as during fire inspections or other routine duties," IAFF Local 27 President Lt. Kenny Stuart told KCPQ reporters.
The current law makes it illegal for people to interfere with police officers but doesn't mention other responders such as EMS or firefighters.
Asst. Chief Chris Lombard said: "Assaults and threatening behavior towards our unarmed members who are simply trying to help others have become a regular and unacceptable part of these responses. Our members are experiencing this with such regularity we’re starting to have trouble of even getting them to continue reporting them. They’re feeling almost hopeless in some of these regards."
Lombard added that some of the assaults have had serious results. "SFD members have been hospitalized from assaults. Some have required surgical intervention, they’ve been punched, they’ve been threatened with death and much more."
Stuart and Lombard say among the items used rebar, wood sticks, hammers and glass. They've also been spat on.
"Everybody knows what it feels like to be threatened with violence. It changes your focus of attention and what we’re looking for here is the ability for firefighters to focus 100 percent of their attention and efforts on the job at hand," said Stuart, a 27-year veteran.
Councilmember Lisa Herbold who introduced the legislation explained: "Every day, Seattle’s firefighters are rushing into danger to protect us, whether it be from a house fire, a car wreck, or an overdose. They do so unarmed, and often their life-saving work reviving a person makes it difficult to have any defensive awareness of a possible threat. It’s time we make sure we are doing all we can to protect them. This is a common-sense fix to Seattle’s laws that allows firefighters to focus on the dangerous work they do and makes us all safer."
