A senior paramedic has acknowledged errors made in preventing medical assistance from entering a shopping centre following a stabbing incident. Assistant Commissioner Brett Armitage was in charge of paramedics during the April 2024 attack in Bondi Junction, where Joel Cauchi fatally wounded six people and injured ten others.
Armitage initially declared the scene a “hot zone” based on suspicions that a second attacker might be involved. This declaration, made 52 minutes after police shot Cauchi, mandated that paramedics evacuate the centre and prohibited other medical teams from entering. It was revealed that police had determined there was only one assailant, but this information was not communicated to NSW Ambulance promptly.
During an inquest, Armitage faced questioning about a senior police officer’s account, in which he claimed that a high-ranking paramedic expressed concerns about the ongoing danger to paramedics inside. While Armitage denied making this remark, he defended his decision to withdraw paramedics from the shopping centre.
He conceded that the “hot zone” status should have been lifted at 5:00 PM when it became clear that there was no additional threat. Critical care paramedic Christopher Wilkinson described feelings of frustration over the situation, noting that confusion on the ground delayed medical assistance for victims. He noted that by 4:30 PM, all those injured had been treated and relocated, and he expressed concern that further lives might have been at risk due to the lack of effective communication between emergency services.
The inquest also detailed the tragic outcomes, with the first victim, Dawn Singleton, believing she would receive medical assistance after being stabbed; however, paramedics arrived 12 minutes after police began CPR, too late to save her life. Six individuals, including Singleton, lost their lives in the attack, compounded by the assailant’s history of mental health struggles and time spent living without support.
The inquiry has highlighted the critical importance of inter-agency communication in mass casualty incidents, a point emphasised by Wilkinson. He advocated for improvements in operational protocols to enhance response effectiveness in future emergencies, reinforcing the need for structural changes in emergency service operations.
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