Omri Hochman, MDA paramedic and director of the Kiryat Shmona station, has been in war mode already for a number of months, responding to the non-stop rocket shootings in the north. His care for the citizens of the city, for the employees and volunteers and of course for the families who were evacuated and are in a safe place – is huge.
“All our teams are very alert, keeping all vehicles manned and we are working in cooperation with the Yatam (SWAT) teams. We tripled our staffing levels over the past months and we are activating the dispatch point from the village of Amir, two MICUs and two life support ambulances manned by MDA reserve personnel.”
“We are aware of the threats and conduct ourselves in the context of the threat, including while driving to the MDA station or treating patients where we are exposed to anti-tank missiles, and we have already been at an event where the threat was from all directions.”
The event Omri mentioned is a rocket strike in Yuval village near the fence, half a kilometer from the border. MDA teams who were dispatched to treat two victims drove there knowing there is an imminent threat on their lives from the enemies to the north, and they still responded as fast as possible, evacuated the victims and at the same time gave them optimal treatment already in the field.
The teams were involved events under fire also in Metula, the village Yiftach and other villages up north, while conducting multiple assessments of the situation to understand which roads are not safe to drive through, and how it’s possible to reach victims without losing lives on the way there.
“We conduct many debriefs and daily talks with the teams. We emphasize the professional side with strict adherence to safety. Mandatory bulletproof vests and helmets, driving only in a bullet proof ambulance, and more. I’m proud of my teams because even though this huge threat continues, their morale is high. They’re united by the national task and the spirit of the organization.”
And what about the families? The teams see them mostly on weekends: “We go home every day to an empty house and that’s not easy. But our families support us from a distance and we see them whenever possible. We’re strong together and we will prevail. I have no doubt about it.”
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