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Medic's carrying a pistol????
I know down by Detroit there are medic's carrying pistols for protection and even bullet proof jackets, but does anyone else know of city's that are doing the same thing or even fire departments that have some sort of protection like a bullet proof jacket. this seems to be a growing concern out there for everyone, just wanted to see your view on this issue.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by T.J. on
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"Leave the guns to the cops...."
That's not going to happen for me thats for sure, if everyone did that we'd be like some of those other countries and we'd sure lose our freedom.
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Also if anybody believes this, then they should move to Canada, where a lot of their gun rights have been taken away from them.
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Permalink Reply by Damon Dyer on
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Has any of you been in a deadly situation or one that could have turned there ? It is easy to say what you would want to do before that happens . I have been one the wrong end of the stick between five 18 and 19 year old firefighters and a guy that wanted to kill us . What i would have given for a gun then . I ended up with two holes in my chest from an ink pen , bruises from my knees to my head from the tree limbs and rocks he hit me with arms that where bloodied bruised and scratched . and hands that i could not open or close for a couple of days because of the soreness . All this because i did not want him to get to those boys . In the end the cops shot him when he attacked them after my 15 minute struggle . If you need it get it it might be my life you save . The best defense is a good offense .
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Permalink Reply by Brian Dumser on
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Canada's problems would not have been solved by their medics carrying guns, I've got news for you. I'm a big supporter of the 2nd ammendment and a gun owner, as well as a former LEO, but guns do not belong in the hands of on duty FF's/medics. That's why we have Police/Sheriff's Deputies. If your area is so bad that you need to be armed as a FF, I would find a better place to work!
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Permalink Reply by BillySFCVFD on
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Glad to hear you're alive. TCSS
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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on
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If you survived that incident without a firearm, then apparently you didn't need it. Why didn't you just back off and let the cops handle the situation. I fail to see how a firefighter or EMT carrying a firearm in that situation would have improved anything. Being willing to kill someone over a few scratches, minor punctures, and bruises is a pretty major escalation.
I've been assaulted with knives, blunt objects, fists, and whatever was handy more times than I can count while working in two high-volume fire/ems systems. I've also had firearms pulled on me a couple of times and been shot at twice. In none of those cases would having a firearm of my own made the slightest difference. The two times I faced down a perp with a gun, I was able to show them that I wasn't armed and let them know that I was a paramedic who was there to help them. If I'd had a gun, I wouldn't have been able to get to it, so I'd have just been a dead paramedic with a gun concealed on my body. The two times I was shot at I was in a vehicle and couldn't see where the shots came from, so we just vamoosed and let the cops handle it.
The best defense is NOT a good offense - it's staying the hell out of violent situations until law enforcement has it under control. If you want to carry firearms to an emergency scene, I'd recommend that you apply to the police or sheriff's department.
The best policy is a solid staging policy with strong administrative backing, and if pertinent, union backing.
Body armor - if you want it. Guns - bad, bad, bad idea for fire and ems.
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If you're worried about keeping your weapon secure, then your attention will be diverted away from the patient and you'll likely be doing less-than-stellar patient care. If the local public safety department is there with pistols, then they should be the ones taking care of law enforcement issues and let fire and ems take care of the fires and the patients.
There's a logical fallacy in your ccw comment, too. If you carry a pistol and don't wear it openly, then you lose the intimidation factor that visible weapons bring to the scene. Wearing weapons openly implies "willing to use it". Wearing concealed weapons implies "I'm unarmed". If you're wearing a weapon and no one knows about it, then it's kind of a waste of time to carry it in the first place.
Most cops go their entire career without ever having to fire their sidearm in anger. That is because a) the intimidation factor of showing the gun keeps them from having to use it very often, b) because there just aren't all that many situations where gunfire makes the situation better, and c) because lots of cops are shot by previously unarmed perps who took the cops' weapon away from them.
I hope that you are never shot with the CCW weapon you carry.
I own firearms and I'm a firm believer in the 2nd Amendment as currently interpreted by the SCOTUS. I just don't believe that firefighters and medics carrying firearms does anything good for the patient, the bystanders, the cops, or us.
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I'm not out to intimidate anybody, just want it there if I was to need it.
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Permalink Reply by Brent Morey on
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This topic wasn't asking if you should carry open or conceled. Just if we thought we should have at all. You don't carry a gun to intimidate somene, that would disturbing the peace at the very least. And then if you did have to shoot someone you now have intent. Thats why CCW came out so no one has to know that you have a gun. Cops don't wear a gun open for intimidation, its for "just in case". If you carried open for intimidation, that would be use of force.
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Permalink Reply by junior on
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we could definitely use them here in TN. there are groups that blame us when one of their boys doesn't make it and they think it's better to retalliate against us. usually it's just threats but we don't take any chances.
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Permalink Reply by Oldman on
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Well I've been lurking in the shadows on this one, and a couple of times I thought I was going to need to buy a Kevlar computer monitor. Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, but honestly, some of the attitudes (both for and against) this subject make me glad most FF/Medics don't carry guns. Now before I start on my tirade, let me say I am a card carrying member of the second amendment, own many guns, and will do what is necessary to protect my family.
There are some places in this world where you need to have a vest while on duty. I worked in a place like that years ago. But a big problem with vests (in addition to those already mentioned) is they can give you a false sense of security. I cannot remember how many times I've seen a change in personality and attitude in a partner when not wearing a vest, and when they are. It's almost like alcohol, it makes you ten feet tall and... I can also tell you from first hand experience, a vest won't protect your legs. I can also relay to you an instance of a shooting victim being aggressively treated on scene with LEO's everywhere. A subject steps through the crowd and fires 4 rounds into the victims head, stating "I wanted him dead". The 20 or so armed officers on scene did not deter him.
Ladies and gentleman, in todays society it doesn't matter to some people if you're armed or not. There are people who do not care what uniform you are wearing (ie; Fire, EMS, Police). They place no value on life. For those of you who work in an area where the local knife and gun club meet, your best defense is to keep your eyes open and use your head. If it ain't safe... get out.
For those who carry, ask yourself this question. Are you prepared to kill someone? If you even think of hesitating before answering that, then you don't need the gun. There is no such thing as shooting to wound. A bullet is final.
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