Despite fearing for their lives and discouraged after the recent deaths of two fellow professionals, paramedics and rescue workers are insisting on continuing their work and expressed the hope that the redefined rules of engagement could help reduce the risk.
Bunserm Suphasri, a senior rescue worker with the Ruamkatanyu Foundation, yesterday said rescue teams would not straightaway enter the red zone announced by soldiers unless requested or contacted for help.
"All paramedics have been told they will not enter the red zones until safety is certain," he said.
His foundation has reached an agreement with red-shirted guards. Ambulances will now be let through into their areas, while taxi motorcyclists and residents have agreed to notify cases of injuries through calls and alerts, Bunserm explained.
"In cases of non-serious injuries, the red-shirted guards take the victims out of the red zones and hand them over to the paramedics and rescue workers for evacuation to hospitals. These new plans have proved effective at a level," he said.
Bunserm said he felt guilty about cases where an injured victim died because no paramedics could get to him on time due to "excessive risk".
In the first case of the death of a medic volunteer, Bunthing Parnsila, attached to Vajira Hospital, took a head shot from an unknown source last Friday.
Teams of paramedics or rescue workers comprising female members have withdrawn from the front line or been on standby at hospital emergency wards to take over wounded patients from ambulances or rescue vehicles, said Jenny Lolydstorm, a public-relations clerk from a hotel and who volunteers as a rescue worker.
Taking a break from her routine work, due to security blockades, Jenny has volunteered as a rescue worker, serving Rajavithi Hospital. She admits she is afraid but s willing to take the risk.
"All I want now is for the violence to end," she said.
Wasant Supphasri, a Ruamkatanyu volunteer with 10 years' experience, said a man under his supervision was still in hospital after being hit by a bullet in his arm. The red-shirt protest is the most violent he has ever experienced.
"During the protests by the People's Alliance for Democracy, I worked more easily, because all sides cooperated in making medical evacuation convenient," he said.
Rescue volunteer Areefine Phoosakul said he learned some lessons from the deaths of the two paramedics, leading to redefined rules of engagement that should reduce the risk in the long run.
"There is now better cooperation between the security agencies and rescue workers as a result," he added.
Areefine said he and fellow workers were still in good spirits despite the hard work and insufficient rest, and especially after the deaths of the two paramedics.
"We still work around the clock. We sleep at the hospitals and sleep only a few hours each day. We do this job because we love it," he said.