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Wis. city paramedics to be equipped with ballistic gear

The Oshkosh Fire Department will use a grant to purchase 10 sets of ballistic vests, helmets and accessories

By EMS1 Staff

OSHKOSH, Wis. —A fire department’s paramedics will soon receive ballistic gear sets for active shooter incidents.

The Oshkosh Northwestern reported that the Oshkosh Fire Department is purchasing 10 sets of ballistic vests, helmets and accessories with a $15,050 grant from Capital Credit Union’s Elevate Communities program, according to department spokesperson John Holland.

“When you think of bulletproof vests, you really don’t think of paramedics,” Holland said. “Unfortunately in this day and age they need them.”

Holland added that paramedics are no longer “100 percent safe” while treating victims at a crime scene like they used to be, and they must now venture into unresolved scenes to save lives.

“That boundary has shifted, and we are expected to go in quicker and closer than before,” he said.

Holland said the paramedics would not have the vests if the grant had not been donated.

“It’s one of those things that are so important, yet when it’s time to fund them, they kind of get a back seat,” Holland said. “So we are so grateful to them.”

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