First paramedics to help victims at Bondi mass stabbing give evidence at inquest

ABC NEWS (Australia)

An experienced paramedic has raised concerns about communication, and delays at the scene of the mass Bondi Junction stabbing last year - even after the attacker had been fatally shot.

Transcript

00:00Well today the inquest has heard from critical care paramedic Christopher Wilkinson who has

00:07more than 40 years of experience with New South Wales ambulance and when he was called to Bondi

00:12Junction Westfield in April last year this was not the first time that he had responded to a

00:18mass casualty event. He said he arrived at the scene shortly after 4pm and immediately after

00:24stepping out of his ambulance he was tapped on the shoulder by a local doctor who he said was

00:28covered in blood at the time and asking for assistance in treating a patient who he feared

00:33may be about to die. He was also told by another paramedic at the scene that a baby had been

00:38seriously injured in this attack. After organising some assistance for those patients he said he was

00:45part of a team which helped set up a triage and transport system outside of the shopping centre

00:50who's impressed by the organisation of the paramedics who were there on scene with their

00:55stretches out and equipment on their stretches ready to go and treat patients as quickly as

01:00they could. So Mr Wilkinson said that he felt frustrated and inadequate on the day. Why did

01:08you say that? That's right despite feeling impressed by the organisation of the paramedics he was

01:14incredibly frustrated and even a man of his experience, 42 years of experience, felt inadequate

01:20like he couldn't do his job because many of those paramedics were not allowed in the shopping centre

01:26for an extended period of time and that's because the inquest has heard it was declared a hot zone

01:31for paramedics and that's due to fears that there possibly could have been a second offender inside

01:36the shopping centre. We later found out of course that Joel Couchy was a lone knifeman and at that time

01:43he had already been shot dead by Police Inspector Amy Scott but that was not information that was being

01:49passed on to NSW Ambulance. So Mr Wilkinson said he felt frustrated left outside of the centre and

01:56unable to treat those patients and that really came to a boiling point for him when the first patient

02:01came out and he treated that person. That person was Faraz Tahir, it was this Westfield security guard

02:08who was one of six people killed in that stabbing attack. He said they did everything they could to try

02:14and save him but he couldn't be revived and when he saw a patient come out and die right in front of him

02:20he knew there would be more inside of the shopping centre who required critical care and he said it's

02:26not good enough despite the risk to paramedics that possibly could have been there that they wouldn't

02:32be allowed in and proposed for a different set of options to be guided in by NSW Police and quickly

02:39bring out those patients who so desperately needed care. He admits that it was incredibly risky

02:44situation and there was a lot of unknowns and today the rest of the day will probably will be spent

02:51exploring the communication avenues that possibly could be improved to make sure this kind of thing

02:56doesn't happen again, Roz.

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