Ambulance Employees Australia’s Victorian assistant secretary Danny Hill said the two emergency workers would not have chosen to hit the duress button before treating an injured player without good reason at the game in Melton on July 15.

The crew delayed helping Daniel Vasjuta, who had broken his leg, after what they described as being verbally abused.

"Paramedics don't do that unless they really sense danger," Mr Hill said.

"They're not known for walking away and at the end of the day, that crew did the right thing.

“In hindsight, everyone has a point of view, but paramedics never go into a situation knowing they’re going to be assaulted, so they have to make a decision in front of them if they’ve sensed some aggression. There's no point after you've been assaulted to think you could've left."

Mr Hill’s impassioned defence comes as WorkSafe Victoria launched a series of powerful advertisements depicting the abuse and violence paramedics have been subjected to while on the job.

In one video, a paramedic who is king hit by a man looks to the camera and says: “As a paramedic, I help in life-threatening situations … In an emergency, I’m here for you, and this is how you treat me?”

When paramedics feel threatened they can hit a duress button on a radio that carries a message to ambulance control room staff, who notify police and will usually respond with backup. 

The Melton football game controversy followed the introduction of a new 40km/h speed limit while passing paramedics that faced intense scrutiny after a collision in Bacchus Marsh.

A truck smashed into the rear of a sedan that was adhering to the rule after seeing emergency lights along the Western Highway near the Lerderderg River bridges on July 2 – one day after the law was introduced.

But Mr Hill expected road users would eventually support the new rule.

“People will whinge and bitch about it and then the vast majority will move on,” he said. “Every paramedic, firefighter and police officer will have a story of a near miss. I hope a penny isn’t raised from fines, but these are real threats.”