He has been hindered by crowds of alcohol-affected people, seen missiles thrown at fellow officers, and been to jobs where ambulances have been purposefully damaged.

Mr Eastham, the Northern Regional Manager for Ambulance Tasmania, acknowledges that the front door of the health system is a difficult environment to navigate at the best of times.

"Which is probably more of a reason why we need to be able to do our job without fear or obstruction," he said.

"Every paramedic accepts that uncontrolled circumstances are the norm.

"But it gets hard when the guys have to deal with stuff like verbal abuse on top of doing their job."

Mr Eastham said he hoped proposed changes to the Ambulance Service Act would help improve safety for the 64 northern region paramedics and intensive care paramedics, as well as the 200 ambulance volunteers.

Under the amendments tabled in parliament last week, those who assault an ambulance officer could face up to three months in jail or a $13,000 fine.

Mr Eastham said alcohol and crowds of people were the most common contributors to an unpleasant situation.

"Call-outs are often emotionally charged, and frequently take place in a public setting," he said.

"But when there's alcohol and a lot of people involved, it makes it difficult to keep people clear of an area.

"Sometimes people are just trying to help - sometimes they have intent to be violent and disruptive. Either way, it makes it harder for us."

Mr Eastham said his experience in Northern Territory and Tasmania had taught him that call-outs were often different to what they were initially advertised.

"It's a big skill to be able to read a situation and assess a scene," he said.

"We receive specific training in identifying scenes - when to proceed and when to withdraw. Unpredictability - it's the nature of the job."