Treating Terrorism

With the ever-increasing threat of terrorism, the role of the paramedic is more vital than ever. When the World Trade Centre was subject to terrorist attack on 11th September 2001, New York's emergency services were on the scene, putting the lives of those inside the collapsed towers before their own.

The unspeakable trauma that paramedics must sometimes suffer as an inevitable part of their jobs goes without saying. As the Arab-Israeli conflict continues, paramedics in Jerusalem, for example, often deal with more than just the aftermath of the terrorist attacks - they can find themselves in the firing line, attacked by stone throwers or worse. In some cases, a bomb explosion can be the first of many blasts.

Israeli authorities have given paramedics the option of carrying firearms, and most do. They have bulletproof vests with them wherever they go, and some of their ambulances are protected with heavy armour plates. With terrorism on the rise and the threat of biological warfare, is it implausible that one day we will need a new breed of specialist medics whose ambulances are specially equipped to deal with the likes of anthrax, botulism, plague and smallpox?