** California Rural/Metro being sued over denial of rest and meal breaks
** Female EMS crew in Northern Ireland attacked by female patient
UNITED STATES NEWS
** California paramedics in San Diego are suing their employer over denying them rest and meal breaks. That is the word from NBC San Diego (Paul Krueger/April 22) which said the federal lawsuit against Rural/Metro could see the company having to fork out some $10 million dollars in penalties. According to the newspaper, medics are entitled to a ten minute break every four hours. The action alleges the breaks were not given as of 2013 to February 2017, with employees required to remain both on-call and available via various electronic notifications. If the lawsuit is permitted to go forward, the class action could extend to include all Rural/Metro employees in the state. Rural/Metro, meanwhile, declined to comment extensively on the matter, saying only that they believed the company was adhering to all state, local, and federal laws.
NORTHERN IRELAND NEWS
** Two female Enniskillen paramedics were taken off duty Saturday after being attack by a female patient seeking their help. That is the word from The Belfast Telegraph (April 22) which said the initial assault saw the woman hit the provider in the face and punch her. She set upon the second medic when the latter tried to intervene to help her partner. The newspaper did not detail the extent of the women’s injuries, but said EMS cover in the area was considerably reduced after they were unable to continue working. There is also no word on whether the woman was arrested for the incident. A spokesman for the service did, however, say such assaults are an everyday occurrence for medics.
