"This happens everywhere...yes?" Topic

Flicking through the local paper at lunch, came across another story of youths attacking an emergency service vehicle.
Sigh!
This time it was an ambulance treating a 2 year old girl for burn injuries, at her home. The crew where spat at, had rocks thrown at them, the vehicle was vandalised and the tyres slashed.

It's usually the firebrigade that gets targeted, kids set fire to rubbish or stolen cars, then throw stuff when the Firemen arrive.

Please tell me it is'nt just the UK where this happens.

As the police typically accompany emergency vehicles in the US, I have not heard of it happening here.

Serve the little savages right if one of them gets stabbed or burned and gets told that ambulances won't enter their neighborhood anymore.

They have to live through it, though. Otherwise the lesson is not passed on.

No, it's not only England, Palewarrior. Here in Sweden it's been a common occurence in many larger cities. In my own town, it's been daily occurence during the summer of this year. Exactly same tactics.

We have a lot of little s here in the states, however I have never heard of this here.

Mike

What the hell? I've never heard of anyone here in the US doing that, but we're a big nation. It may happen somewhere other than where I live, and just not hit national news, since it doesn't involve a missing child or celebrity.

Since I do read the BBC site, I have heard of it in the UK. Didn't know Sweden was getting hit with it too.

I just don't see the point. One day they may want those folks to come help them, and my inclination would not be to help the thugs who made my job difficult when I was helping others. Probably as well I'm not an EMT.

I've only heard of it in the USA during riots, and other such periods of total mayhem. Normally, no – never heard of it here in the USA. Even most criminals have enough sense to know they may someday need the EMTs.

Significant problem in the Rep. of Ireland too. Was around the time I left, that is – unsure of the current state of play.

Not heard of it happening here.

I believe in the early 80s there were isolated instances of this in the US in certain areas of DC, Detroit, LA, and New York, among other large cities. Ambulances would not enter certain neighborhoods without police escort. I have not seen any instances of it for a long time, though.

Here is a story from the 80s:
link

Arm the EMTs with bean bag shotguns. That'll stop it.

And no, I've never heard of this in the U.S.. Maybe in connection with some riot or Devil's Night nonsense in Detroit. But that's about it. It certainly doesn't happen in my neck of the woods.
I guess we just have a slightly more intelligent class of thug here.

I guess we just have a slightly more intelligent class of thug here.

– the thug who is EMT'd away today, lives to thug another day.

Never heard of that happening in Canada. People getting beat up in buses or shot in malls, yes…

The brother of a then friend of mine was arrested for dancing on an ambulance. I wasn't there at the time, I'd passed my limit and staggered home – or back to the halls of residence, which tells much about the story's age….

He had fake dreadlocks in at the time, most of which came off in the policeman's hand. Apparently his face was a picture as said drunken fool fell off the vehicle, leaving the cop with a handful of hair…

I've never heard of that in the states either. Britain really does need to get it's act together doesn't it. I'm glad I don't live there anymore.

Never heard of anything like it in Canada.
--
Tim

It's not just the UK, but it sure as heck doesn't happen here.

Can you say 'rattan' sonny? There's something about the clean, safe streets and incredibly low crime rate here that brings out the inner reactionary in me.

It's happening in some places in the Netherlands as well.

Luckily, in Veendam everything happens at least ten years later.

Trouble is in the UK said thugs are now protected and we can hardly even speak to them without first being checked for being on a criminal database, let alone hand out harsh lessons.

Was a time we were too busy scrumping and making go-karts from old crates to harass other people going about their business.

Michael Caine's having a field day on this subject with his new film at the moment.

Steve P

Please tell me it is'nt just the UK where this Bleeped text happens.

Not in the US or Canada, at least outside of situations when civil order has utterly failed.

Here in the States, police often deploy with emergency services, though.
-Kle.

As Minondas said, getting common here in Sweden. Firefighters do not go into certain areas without police protection any more. No major incident has occured yet, but it's a matter of time before a bunch of people die because the firemen can't get to the fire. Also happens to ambulances from time to time but that is not common. Yet.

Curious, but is there any reason why this happens? Is there a motive?

Damon.

"No major incident has occured yet, but it's a matter of time before a bunch of people die because the firemen can't get to the fire. Also happens to ambulances from time to time but that is not common. Yet."

-- And when it does occur, the people in the area will probably riot because they are not getting the help they feel they deserve.

I'm afraid common sense and common decency in the UK are getting rarer, mainly because the criminal justice systems and prevalence of ridiculous sense of 'human rights' for the thugs and criminals make it all a farce.

No in the US they just shoot at police helicopters as they fly over.

Never heard of anything like this in the USA, Canada or Mexico. Nope Never.

mjc

Where the hell is the community while this is going on? Aren't there people about that know who these kids are? Even in this age of litigation and correctness, I like to think that my kids would get the crap kicked out of them if they pulled any of that nonsense in our neighborhood.

If this sort of thing is commonly happening, it's because the people are letting it happen.

- Bob

Indeed, it does. NOLA was an interesting place to be a paramedic.

Scott

No in the US they just shoot at police helicopters as they fly over.

Yeah, that's true. They only very rarely shoot them down however.

Indeed, it does. NOLA was an interesting place to be a paramedic.

As I said, except when civil order has completely broken down. I submit that that apples to New Orleans, at least back into the 1970s. Probably Detroit, too. I'm quite fond of both cities (esp. N.O.), but common cause is rather thin on the ground, there.
-Kle.

I have never heard of anything quite so barbarous here. Lord knows there is a lot of crap that goes on, but generally it has some slight purpose.

There are many 'politically correct' explanations for events in Sweden, Garand. The simplest common denominator for all of the areas is that they have predominantly immigrant population, with extremly high unemployment and local educational system which has completely collapsed, which means that kids know they are stuck at the bottom of society for the rest of their lifes. I believe that this is a reaction against the society, which in their eyes is 'the enemy' that took them in and then 'created' this situation. In other words, it's a completely self-destructive form of protest. It doesn't help that immigrant communities tend to encapsulate themselves from the 'host' and Swedes aren't exactly the easiest people to create personal relations with. Throw in a dose of left-wing romanticism or reactionary religious fervor into such mix and it becomes instable in a blink of an eye.

I say that from my own experience, since I am a first generation imigrant that lives in Sweden and I grew up in one of those areas that are burning these days.

We've had people shoot at medical evacuation helicopters here in Australia – apparently they didn't like having their sleep spoilt by the late night arrival of said chopper to retreive critically ill patients…..