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Ambulances are forced to go to dangerous addresses - without the police
Published 100 AM


Currently, there are addresses that are "flagged" as potentially dangerous in the police system. The police don't go there without reinforcements. But ambulances are not allowed to share the same information - and in Stockholm the ambulance staff have so far had to go to addresses where the situation was perceived as threatening.

For ambulance personnel in Sweden, certain calls can mean great danger. Currently, an ambulance may temporarily refrain from going to an address if the staff deems it to be risky. They can then ask for police assistance.

But if the police are not able to assist the ambulance at the time, the ambulance does not have the right to refuse. If the ambulance still refuses, it can be considered a refusal to work - which can lead to dismissal. This means an unsafe working environment for the ambulance staff.

- It could be interpreted as a refusal to complete the assignment, says Emil Skoglund, chief security officer at Aisab, the Stockholm region's own ambulance company, to Mitt i .

Now there will be a change
Earlier this year, the trade unions warned of a protective strike if the working environment for the paramedics does not become safer. A safety stop means that a safety representative makes use of the statutory right to decide that work must be suspended pending a decision from the Work Environment Agency.

Now, together with the region and the ambulance companies that drive for the region, they have drawn up new guidelines. Going forward, it must be clear that an ambulance must not go to an address without the police - if the staff perceives the situation as threatening.

The protection representative Emil Skoglund also wants the ambulance staff to have access to the patient records, because aggressive behavior is recorded. This is possible in several other regions of the country - but not in Stockholm. The ambulance in Stockholm also wants to know which addresses are "flagged", just like the police, but for that to be possible a change in the law is required.