Two Boston EMTs were left with injuries to their head, face, and neck after being allegedly assaulted in separate incidents Wednesday night, prompting their union to renew its push for stronger legal protections for emergency medical workers. Boston EMS confirmed that charges have been filed in connection with the attacks, according to the department.
The Boston Police Patrolmen's Association – EMS Division is now pushing to pass new legislation in the wake of the two assaults, as reported by Boston 25 News. Jason Yutkins, president of the BPPA-EMS Division, said Boston EMS members have an absolute right to expect to return home safely at the end of their shifts. “Assaulting an EMT or healthcare provider is not an occupational hazard the division is willing to accept,” Yutkins said, per the outlet's reporting.
Boston 25 News has reached out to the City of Boston for comment, and the story remains developing as more details emerge about the two Wednesday night incidents.
A Pattern of Violence Against Boston's EMTs
Wednesday's attacks are not isolated. The union previously reported that two EMTs were assaulted during Boston's Caribbean Festival in late August, an incident Hoodline covered in our earlier report on the Cheney Street attack. That assault, near Cheney Street in Roxbury, hospitalized two EMTs after they were repeatedly struck in the face and bitten while responding to a call, according to Patch. Union leadership requested that the Suffolk County District Attorney pursue prosecution against those involved in that case.
These back-to-back incidents come against a backdrop of what union officials describe as a chronic problem. In August, BPPA-EMS Division leadership reported that Boston EMTs had experienced more than 1,000 physical and verbal assaults over the preceding 12 months, according to a separate Boston 25 News report. Union officials noted that many minor physical and verbal altercations go unreported by frontline personnel, suggesting the true toll may be higher than the reported figure.
Why Advocates Say the Law Falls Short
Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 265, Section 13I, assaulting an EMT, ambulance operator, or healthcare provider in the line of duty is currently classified as a misdemeanor, punishable by 90 days to 2.5 years in a house of correction and a fine between $500 and $5,000, according to Justia's compiled statute text. First responder unions have argued that misdemeanor charges fail to provide an adequate legal deterrent for people who attack prehospital workers.
State lawmakers and healthcare advocacy groups, including the Massachusetts Nurses Association, have previously introduced legislation, including bills S.906 and H.1657, that would elevate assaults against EMTs, ambulance attendants, and healthcare workers from a misdemeanor to a felony punishable by up to five years in state prison. The Massachusetts Nurses Association has noted that the proposed measure was the subject of a May 16, 2023, State House hearing.
The push for felony-level penalties is not new. In July 2019, a Boston EMS EMT was stabbed seven times inside an ambulance near Harrison Avenue while transporting a patient to Boston Medical Center, an attack that contributed to calls for enhanced safety protections, according to EMS World. The incident helped fuel calls for stiffer penalties for assaults on emergency medical staff.
A National Problem With Local Stakes
Violence against EMS workers extends well beyond Boston. A survey conducted by the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians found that 69% of responding EMS practitioners reported being physically assaulted on the job, per the same EMS World reporting. Prehospital care providers frequently handle volatile or altered patients in unscreened environments without immediate law enforcement support, a dynamic federal researchers have also tracked.
Workplace violence poses serious physical risks to crews who respond to emergencies every day.
Boston EMS employs more than 400 EMTs and paramedics who serve as the primary municipal prehospital emergency medical response force for Boston's 911 system. They respond to medical, traumatic, and behavioral health emergencies while also staffing major civic gatherings like the Boston Marathon.
Boston EMS Crews Cover a Massive, High-Demand City
The scale of the workload facing Boston's EMTs is significant. Boston EMS responds to emergency incidents and transports patients across the city. Crews operate across 16 stations citywide and provide coverage for more than 1,000 special events annually.
Boston EMS responds to emergencies in neighborhoods including Roxbury and Dorchester. Boston EMS serves neighborhoods across the city, where crews often work in unpredictable, high-pressure settings.
Boston 25 News has reached out to the City of Boston for comment on Wednesday's incidents, and this remains a developing story as investigators and union leaders push for accountability. For now, the BPPA-EMS Division is renewing its call for state lawmakers to treat assaults on EMTs with the same seriousness afforded to other frontline emergency responders.
