FireEMSPolice said:
Perhaps in other states its lawful to carry where Ohio does not allow it.
Perhaps it is. OP asked for people's input. I gave my input based on where I live, and disclaimed it as such. I never said that it was impossible everywhere, over even where I live. Obviously elsewhere may be different, there are several online databases of concealed carry laws by state, if you are worried about finding a counter example, use them. The majority I can decipher have restricted zones for civilian ccw. If you are covering an area for fire and
ems and carrying, you need to have a plan as to what you will do when called to a zone that makes it some level of crime to carry your weapon. If you can do that without delaying your response, great. In the states where I can carry and/or act as a medic it would be a huge burden for me to have to secure the weapon prior to entering hospitals, schools, businesses etc. If there are ways around this please post them. If anyone can find state that has a ccw exception for fire/
ems to get around gun free zones that cripple civilian ccw, post it.
Personal pragmatic considerations aside, the other consideration is what your department will allow. Carrying a firearm in the line of duty as a firefighter/EMT may give you all the problems of a police officer and none of the protections. Your fire/
EMS department may have serious issues with you using a civilian ccw to carry while in uniform. A police dept has use of force policies, firearms policies and is setup to have employees carrying sidearms. A fire dept has none of those things, so you are going to have the civilian ccw laws meeting the fire/
ems duties to act and implications of uniform. Just be aware of where dept policy, state
law and personal comfort level all meet on the issue.
For me it's too much trouble.... however each dept, state and person may have different results. The answer to this question is going to vary greatly by location. Just know your state laws and dept policies on the matter before making a decision.