** Australian medics in Northern Territory strained by calls involving family violence
** Colorado paramedic’s child abuse trial ends in hung jury
AUSTRALIA NEWS
** Northern Territory paramedics are apparently being overwhelmed by EMS calls involving family violence. That is the word from NT News (December 12) which said some estimates say nearly 75 per cent of help hails are due to domestic incidents, often involving alcohol. Paramedic Nicole Bouma said such calls are dangerous for responders as victims of violence often vent their frustration on medics. Bouma also said children are frequently involved. Calling them draining and depressing, Bouma’s sentiments were echoed by St. John NT boss Ross Coburn. Coburn said family violence call outs are the biggest drain on the EMS service.
UNITED STATES NEWS
** The case of a Fort Collins, Colorado paramedic charged with allegedly abusing his four-month-old son has ended in a mistrial. The Coloradoan (Jason Pohl/December 13) said the matter involving Jason Schneider, 30, ended in a deadlocked jury Tuesday. According to the newspaper, Schneider had been charged with Class 3 felony child abuse for an incident that happened February 18th of this year. On that day, Schneider hailed 911 after his child started choking while eating. Although he said he did both CPR and back blows, the child’s injuries were deemed to have been deliberately inflicted. Proceedings against Schneider began November 29th. A second trial is set to begin February 21st and is expected to last ten days. A pre-trial conference is set for January 30th.
