Local Emergency Workers Recall Hostile Situations

Thursday, March 9th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Patrolling the streets of Tulsa at night, Emergency Medical Technician Jason Whitlow has seen his share of violent situations. In fact, many E-M-S-A workers say they have been attacked by the people they're trying to help.

At the E-M-S-A dispatch station, operators are trained to recognize situations where emergency crews might be endangered. "We tell the ambulance to stage," said E-M-T Heather Aasness, "which means they need to be out of sight of the address. Then they send the police department in first."

E-M-S-A dispatchers receive between 200 and 300 calls a day. There's no way they can know what kind of circumstances lies on the other side of the line. Often crews go into the field and encounter volatile situations. "A man was running around outside his house, acting a little out of his head," Whitlow said. "We chased him back into the house and at that point he ordered us out of his house several times. When we turned to leave, a firefighter and I were the last two out of the house." At that time, the man hit the firefighter, Lorenzer Holmes, in the back of the head. Holmes turned around and the man hit him again. "As I went to help the firefighter up, somebody jumped on my back and it turned into a, kind of a big melee of bodies for a short time," Whitlow said. Holmes explained, "I was scared. I didn't know what was going to happen next After I pinned him to the floor, I was thinking somebody behind me is going to pull out a gun," he continued.

Wednesday's events in Memphis illustrate that emergency workers can be in real danger. "You just never know," said paramedic Phillip Barron. "We go into some of the bad neighborhoods, some of the good neighborhoods." Because he could be confronted at any time, Barron wears a bullet-proof vest every time he heads out to save a life.

Wednesday's shooting in Memphis involved an ironic twist. Police have identified the gunman as an off-duty firefighter who had just returned to work after an extended disability leave.