Three paramedics were held at gunpoint in the early hours of Wednesday morning while trying to save the life of a five-year-old girl.
ER-24 spokesperson, Werner Vermaak, says they dispatched an ambulance to Khayelitsha shortly after midnight to assist a little girl suffering from seizures.
"While treating the girl at the back of the ambulance the side door burst open with 2 gunmen demanding cellphones from the paramedics. They were also asked to hand over the keys to one of their Rapid Response Vehicles. It is understood that the suspect tried to open the vehicle with the key instead of the remote which lead to the alarm going off. This gave them a fright and they fled. The did however manage to get away with phones and a GPS" he said.
Meanwhile, Vermaak says just on Tuesday another ER-24 employee was robbed of a cellphone in Gauteng.
He told Algoa FM News that they had started to provide self-defence training to paramedics, many of whom see their work as calling.
Vermaak says the situation is worrying for them.
"We as a company launched the program 2 years ago EMSHE, which is Emergency Medical Support in a hostile environment. It is basically self defence and training on how to act if you are being attacked and how to look after yourself. We call on local law enforcement to really join forces with not only the private companies but anybody who goes out to save lives" he said.
