By EMS1 Staff
NEW YORK — In the wake of a brutal attack on an EMT last month, the FDNY created a PSA warning the public against attacks on paramedics and EMTs.
NYDailyNews.com reported that the PSA, which was posted on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, includes information about the consequences of assaulting EMS personnel.
The PSA was created nearly a month after 20-year-old FDNY EMT Nicholas Cody was bitten, beaten and stomped on by a handcuffed suspect in the back of an ambulance.
“EMTs and paramedics respond to 1.5 million calls each year,” the PSA says. “These men and women are highly trained and prepared to save your life at a moment’s notice. FDNY EMS helps protect our city by providing the highest level of prehospital emergency care. They face many dangers while on duty, including assault, and are protected by New York State Law. Assaulting an FDNY EMT or paramedic is a felony punishable by seven years in prison."
Days after Cody was assaulted, another EMT, Danny Manning, suffered a broken nose after he was slugged by a patient he was trying to transport, according to the report.
“Our members are routinely faced with danger,” Oren Barzilay, president of EMS Union Local 2507, said. Barzilay recently called out New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, saying he needs to do “more to protect the men and women who protect and serve this city.”