NY EMS Responders wearing Body Armor.

[Hoser]

NY responders to wear body armor to medical calls


Back in the day we had one guy that bought his own vest and wore it on calls, but everyone gave him crap about it. I would wear it in a heartbeat today......

 

[EMT-BLS]

NY responders to wear body armor to medical calls

Back in the day we had one guy that bought his own vest and wore it on calls, but everyone gave him crap about it. I would wear it in a heartbeat today......

I've got a vest, and I throw it on when I'm going to a "hot" neighborhood...I'd rather get laughed at in my face, then mourned by at my grave.


It's ironic that NY EMTs need to wear armor...what, with guns being banned here, so now it' should be so safe...

 

[Truck26]

Rule #1 scene safety...

 

[Steve0625]

The squad that purchased the vests is just about 45 minutes away from my home. I think they've placed themselves at the very beginning of what will become the norm for many EMS responders.


The 12/24/12 shooting incident of the firefighters in the Webster suburb of Rochester, NY was the one of the latest in a series of attacks on Fire and EMS personnel that has totally changed my thinking on the matter. One of the West Webster firefighters who was killed was a freshly minted Fire Dispatcher in the 911 Center where I worked my entire career. The other was a police lieutenant whom I dispatched on a near daily basis for the last 10 years of my career. I was already researching body armor for myself when this story broke. My wife was not a happy camper when I told her that, but I think she is beginning to understand and accept the situation.

 

[NYBLS]

Mine came in about 2 weeks ago. Wear it every time I am in the public eye in uniform. If you are skinny most people don't realize you even have it on. The occasional comment is stomped when I ask people how much the average funeral costs in comparison to a vest. It's uncomfortable, but so is being shot.

 

[NYBLS]

I've got a vest, and I throw it on when I'm going to a "hot" neighborhood...I'd rather get laughed at in my face, then mourned by at my grave.



It's ironic that NY EMTs need to wear armor...what, with guns being banned here, so now it' should be so safe...

No offense, but that is idiotic. The last firefighter I have heard of being shot was in a suburb on a medical alarm call. Putting your vest on in prediction for a shooting is like saying you'll put on your seat belt right before you crash.

 

[JPolston]

BSI, is my scene safe??!!??


I think it ridiculous that EMS has to wear armor on calls these days, but safety is top priority, so if you need it you need it.


PLEASE wear it if you're out in those "hot" areas. We lose enough brothers and sisters and don't need to lose any more.

 

[EMT-BLS]

No offense, but that is idiotic. The last firefighter I have heard of being shot was in a suburb on a medical alarm call. Putting your vest on in prediction for a shooting is like saying you'll put on your seat belt right before you crash.

Thank you for your insight. I throw my vest on over my shirt, and then a sweater or jacket over that, if the address is a sh*tty part of town. I apologize that you feel that's idiotic, but you are the reason people are hesitant to wear vests. The reason I throw it on, as opposed to wearing it all day, is because I work in an office during the day, and I respond from my office by POV to the base for calls.

 

[11b101abn]

An outer carrier designed for your job would probably be more practical that wearing a concealed vest outside your uniform.

 

[pdk9]

I'm almost positive that every EMT and EMT-P in FDNY EMS are issued a bullet proof vest for a while now. I personally wouldn't wear one to every call that my FD is dispatched to, but I definitely think it's a good idea that EMS crews in 911 systems have ACCESS to the vests, just like how many non-Fire EMS personnel have access to some form of turnout or extrication suits (for MVA's, standby near IDLH zones, etc). Yes, you cannot always anticipate when a call will become violent and put a vest on in advance, because some of the calls that turn sour are the ones that started off sounding like "routine" calls, but I think we should have them readily available to us if there's a call with a higher propensity for violence or when something just doesn't feel right in your gut when you're dispacthed to a call

No offense, but that is idiotic. The last firefighter I have heard of being shot was in a suburb on a medical alarm call. Putting your vest on in prediction for a shooting is like saying you'll put on your seat belt right before you crash.

What's idiotic about it? I don't follow your seatbelt analogy, because if he has a suspicion that there's an above likely chance that he'll encounter something, let him (as an adult) make his own decision when to wear a vest and when not to (just like ensuring you have your seatbelt on "right before you crash"). FDNY EMS personnel have vests, and you don't see many of them wearing their vests regularly, unless they're in a bad neighborhood where there's an above average chance of some violence. You can't always predict when an accident or incident will occur, but you can take extra measures in advance when something in your gut is telling you to take the extra precaution

Thank you for your insight. I throw my vest on over my shirt, and then a sweater or jacket over that, if the address is a sh*tty part of town. I apologize that you feel that's idiotic, but you are the reason people are hesitant to wear vests. The reason I throw it on, as opposed to wearing it all day, is because I work in an office during the day, and I respond from my office by POV to the base for calls.

Sounds like u work for Bed Stuy VAC?

 

[EMT-BLS]

Sounds like u work for Bed Stuy VAC?

Negative...but I'm not localized to one neighborhood...I take calls in all 5 boroughs, and I don't know where I'll end up.

 

[Steve0625]

BSI, is my scene safe??!!??

I think it ridiculous that EMS has to wear armor on calls these days, but safety is top priority, so if you need it you need it.


PLEASE wear it if you're out in those "hot" areas. We lose enough brothers and sisters and don't need to lose any more.

My issue here is that we can no longer define a "hot" area like we used to do. The 12.24 WWFD incident happened in a quiet lakefront residential area in a very safe suburb. Four volunteer firefighters shot and only two survived. The EMT that I mentioned above was shot and killed while on a call with a small volunteer squad in a small and "very safe" community. There's plenty more of the same type of incidents that all have happened in supposedly safe and quiet communities.

An outer carrier designed for your job would probably be more practical that wearing a concealed vest outside your uniform.

Any thoughts on a carrier that might be more suitable for EMS use? I'm mostly thinking about avoiding the LEO look if possible as I live and volunteer in a very small town. It might be a good move to wear something that is a lighter color, maybe a light gray, and if all possible, cut to look more like a polo and less like the traditional uniform shirt. I think people might be more accepting and understanding if it looks a bit like casual clothing.


Thoughts?

 

[gabrod]

If you have it wear it, if you don't then spend it and get one, you will never stop appreciating, besides vests can help you also if you get into an accident , i can tell you this from a recently personal experience.

 

[MESDA6]

In response to the "idiotic" comment above, I think the OP of that comment is saying you need to wear your vest at all times while on duty, not that it's "idiotic" to wear a vest.


I ran most of my ambulance calls in the 70's and through the 80's. Even then, we considered buying our own personal vests, and the technology of the vest was nowhere near as good then. More than once I had a knife pulled on me during a "routine" call, including one by a distraught wife while we were doing CPR on her husband. Nothing is "routine" or "safe."

 

[FSEP]

I think if you wear an exterior carrier, you should have an EMS patch in the front and back. It makes you look less like a cop, obviously.

 

[NYBLS]

Thank you for your insight. I throw my vest on over my shirt, and then a sweater or jacket over that, if the address is a sh*tty part of town. I apologize that you feel that's idiotic, but you are the reason people are hesitant to wear vests. The reason I throw it on, as opposed to wearing it all day, is because I work in an office during the day, and I respond from my office by POV to the base for calls.

Why am I the reason people are hesitant to wear vests? I'm sitting at work wearing one right now...

 

[NYBLS]

What's idiotic about it? I don't follow your seatbelt analogy, because if he has a suspicion that there's an above likely chance that he'll encounter something, let him (as an adult) make his own decision when to wear a vest and when not to (just like ensuring you have your seatbelt on "right before you crash"). FDNY EMS personnel have vests, and you don't see many of them wearing their vests regularly, unless they're in a bad neighborhood where there's an above average chance of some violence. You can't always predict when an accident or incident will occur, but you can take extra measures in advance when something in your gut is telling you to take the extra precaution

It's idiotic because if someone had the ability to predict a shooting than there would be no shootings. I am shocked that emergency providers are relying on their "gut" and the fact that they are driving through a bad neighborhood to increase their likelihood of going home at night. VIOLENCE HAPPENS IN GOOD NEIGHBORHOODS. People know how we work. They are calling 911 and saying they are having chest pains or pressing their medical alert button and shooting at us. They understand we are unarmed, do not wear armor, and usually run right into medical calls without hesitation.


Let me ask you this,


What is the disadvantage to wearing a vest? What makes it so bad that EMS providers (who are usually in air conditioned ambulances for at least part of their shift) cannot wear them while law enforcement does every day?

 

[FireEMSPolice]

An outer carrier designed for your job would probably be more practical that wearing a concealed vest outside your uniform.

I love the outer carriers/vests. I wish I was allowed to wear one at work.