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It was not rare having road blockages across the city since the anti-extradition bill movement erupted, which often delayed the arrival of paramedics at the scenes of conflict. Operations Wing therefore established six Medical Support Teams (MSTs) to provide immediate first aid treatment to the injured, including police officers and members of the public. MST members treated all injured persons at scene equally, giving them initial treatment before the arrival of paramedics.
Each Regional Response Contingent (RRC) / Headquarters Response Contingent has its own MST. Each team comprises four to 10 officers from various police units. Not only have the members accumulated first aid knowledge and experiences in police work, they were also awarded the qualifications of basic first aid and using automated external defibrillators (AEDs) by the Auxiliary Medical Service and Hong Kong St. John Ambulance. Some of them sharpened their skills by completing the Police Oriented Tactical Emergency Medicine Course held by the Police College.
Over the past year, MST Inspector Bell led his teammates to work shoulder to shoulder with the RRCs of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon West, weaving through protest scenes to render medical treatment to the injured. Recounting one of the most unforgettable experiences, Bell said, “On November 17 last year, a member of the Force Media Liaison Cadre had his calf shot by an arrow outside the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. We quickly retreated with the wounded officer to a safe location from the dangerous scene. As the arrowhead was deeply thrusted into the flesh, we removed the tail of the arrow after cutting it into half and used adhesive tapes and other materials to fix the position of the arrow. The injured officer was then sent to hospital for a surgery. I dare not imagine if he was shot at his head or chest.”
Once a colleague experienced heart discomfort while on standby at the Police Sports and Recreation Club, he then sought help from MST members. According to team member Ying Kit, initial check-up showed that the situation was life-threatening. “The ambulance could not arrive promptly as roads were blocked by rioters. Fortunately, officers of Traffic Kowloon West assisted in escorting the ambulance to hospital, enabling the colleague to receive timely treatment. Thorough medical check-up revealed vascular blockage in his two blood vessels. It could be dire if he was not admitted to hospital in time.”
Ming, another team member, said MST members performed the dual role of paramedics and police officers in police operations. When they were not engaged in first aid duties, they kept a close watch on the surrounding areas to alert frontline officers to potential dangers or attacks. On some occasions, they also assisted in directing traffic on site to ease the workload of frontline officers. “We worked with RRC colleagues in perfect harmony, thanks to our mutual trust. While frontline officers felt relieved upon our arrival, we were thankful for their protection which allowed us to concentrate on giving medical treatment to the injured at scene.”
Other than police officers, MST members also assisted injured citizens, protesters, reporters, social workers and arrestees at protest scenes, offering treatment to them regardless of their background or identity.
On September 6 this year, while the Police were conducting an operation in Mong Kok, a male arrestee had a seizure and collapsed. Bell’s team promptly reached the scene to render assistance, he recalled, “The man suddenly became breathless and pulseless during a health check by us. Our team activated the AED at once while I tried to rescue him by performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on him. Luckily he soon sprang back to life. Ambulance personnel also swiftly arrived at the scene to take the man to hospital.”
MST members also treated citizens critically injured in political disputes. Team member Ah Yuen recounted one of the occasions, “There were crowds of protesters gathering in Mong Kok, making a din and hurling objects sporadically. The scene was very chaotic as burning objects and bricks were scattered on the ground. Amid the melee, we found a man sprawling on the ground with blood all over his face, we bandaged his head with special care to avoid blood oozing from the wound before loading him on the ambulance.”
It was poignant for Bell and his members to recollect the scenes of violent clashes over the past year. Like many police officers and citizens, they sincerely hope that no one would get injured in violent incidents. They believe that as long as everyone remains peaceful and rational, the rift in society will be healed one day.
