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Bullet Proof Vest
After 2 bad calls this week, I am looking into a vest. I am also looking into if there are grants out ther for Fire and EMS for this. Any help and web sites would be a great help.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Billy Lovell (Skinny) on
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Thank you
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Permalink Reply by Forsaken Firefighter on
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You can get trauma plates for the front and back of the vest.... Some are maid of steel monolithic and also lightweight composite ceramic. They can be balky and heavy depending on what type you get but they do the job for bullets and edged weapons as well....
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Permalink Reply by Roy Walker on
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What a sad sad time we live in some more than others. Stay safe brothers
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Permalink Reply by Richard Armstrong on
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Anything out there You could wear for tractors? we went to a call wher the guy was pissed that we got called to put out his brush pile that was puttin a huge plume of smoke across the highway and he tried to run a guy over with his tractor.You never know what you are going to run into out there. big cities, small towns, different weapons.It usually boils down to the amount of alcohol they drank or if they took there meds this week or not.Watch yourselves at all times.We kinda have a system built into the computers at 911 dispatch that if a person at an address have a history of violence that it's flagged and police are automatically dispatched at the same time but it doesn't catch them all.
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Permalink Reply by Oldman on
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Be aware that the material used in vests is the same material used to make some bunker gear. It too starts to degrade over time. Therefore, used vests are likely to have reduced protection.
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Permalink Reply by Vic Silverfish on
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Wow, that sounds like a pretty bad week. I sympathise with you, but I think you'll find bullet proof vests for firefighters or EMTs are a terrible idea.
The legal aspects of wearing a vest will run you up against the following set of issues:
There's more to it that just buying and issuing vests. You need to train the wearers (and as soon as anyone has them, everyone will need to have them) in the care and proper wearing of the vests. the follow-on costs of ownership may make the entire exercise not worth while.
On a practical level - If you are going to have them, you will need to wear them all the time. As soon as you hit a hot summer, you are going to get a lot of resistance from your crews.
If you are wearing a bullet proof vest, you are acknowledging that you are entering a dangerous area but have not been specifically trained to deal with it. The police are trained to search for weapons, subdue bad guys, know when to call backup, and are authorised to arrest, restrain, and (if necessary) use lethal force to defend themselves or others. We have no such training, just a tacit understanding that sometimes we need to do what we need to do. Most department SOPs are to retreat and wait for the police if things appear dangerous. Wearing a vest opens the department and local government to massive liability that I can't imagine the legal boys going for.
Good luck with your decision. I am curious what your department decides on this one. Keep your eyes open and stay safe!
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We will still have th SOG of not going until P.D has called the scene safe. But in the two calls above the P.D were on scene and the scene was "safe". Our Police Department has offered to give all the training we will need.
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Yeah, I know the feeling. I've been attacked by guys on PCP, taken a gun off a patient, and had someone take potshots at my ambulance. For all the time spent fighting fires, I think the most frightening time I've spent is waiting for the cops to secure a scene.
Like I said in my previous post, I can imagine your local government looking at the legal ramifications of armouring firefighters/ambos and deciding it is a bad idea. It sounds like your department has put some thought into it, so good luck. I hope you end up with the right decision, whatever that is!
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Permalink Reply by Mike Schlags (Captain Busy) Retd on
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A lot of things you share Vic are pretty much spot on. Your opinion about use of vests is out there for me... The feds handed out vests to ALL the firefighters in Southern California, sans any training except to figure out how to put it on. It's not rocket science unless velcro baffles you. When we are responded to a riot to do fire suppression, we do so in strike teams of five engines using the ICS system and we are escorted and protected by LAPD, LASO, CHP, etc.
So you are saying that when we cruise into our assignment, in force, with cops in front, next to and behind, that you want me and my crew to drive into downtown Compton, with things on fire, maybe even some folks running in and out of stores with busted windows... you get the picture. You want us to go in sans any kind of bullet protection? No thanks bud, I'll err on the side of safety.
CBz
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Permalink Reply by ashfire on
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Interesting what is being made to be bullet proof if you look around the internet. Ballistic blankets, brief cases, kids and military backpacks and store clerk aprons.
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I agree Captain, I spoke to a friend on the Police Department and He told me that the training is basic. The main thing is the cleaning and care and 2 min on how to use it.
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Permalink Reply by Wayne Peterson on
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The only correction I have to all the above comments is.....Police do not protect you, they may try however they do not have a majic vail, when it comes down to it you are on your own. Don't get me wrong Police will try and do there job, but just can't predict what happens before it actually happens.
Good Luck and stay Safe.
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