Created: June 30, 2021 06:34 PM
Firefighters in St. Paul will start wearing bulletproof vests and helmets on some emergency calls.
Shield616, the nonprofit that provided the new ballistic gear, said St. Paul Fire Department is the first in the state to use them.
St. Paul Deputy Fire Chief of EMS Kenneth Adams said it will be an extra layer of protection in a job that has become increasingly unpredictable. Twenty years ago we worried about having the best turnout gear and the best air packs, and nowadays we re having to worry about, Are we going to get shot? Adams said.
Adams said they started exploring the idea of body armor for firefighters several years ago as active shooter situations started to increase across the country.