Bullet Proof Vest!

I do not believe in Body Armor for EMS... least not ones that sit on the trucks and are not worn for the entire length of the shift.

1) If its a shooting, stabbing, or some other already alerted high-risk scene, then EMS SHOULD NOT BE GOING IN AND SHOULD BE STAGING thus eliminating the need for a vest.

2) Unless your gonna wear the body armor on every call, its not gonna do you any good. Refer to reason #1. For the unexpected violence on the chest pain call... you need to have the vest on under your uniform. It can't be a pick and choose when to wear it. It's either all or nothing.
 
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The presence of a few cops doesn't make the scene safe :rolleyes:
 
There is a big difference between "cops on scene" and scene secured.
 
Our Dept. issues vests,concealable,if staff wish to use external carriers it is at your own personal expense. We are issued Level 2 armor with the T-15 Insert for added protection.
Most staff are good about wearing, a few have chosen to let the armor sit in their lockers for various reasons stated by others on here. ie: Too hot, think they will never need them...blah blah blah.

I think at the end of the day it's a personal choice unless it's in your dept's SOP's due to being issued,here even though it is issued you are not mandated to wear-_-. I personally have worn mine every shift in the last 13yrs,and it has come in handy on more than a few occasions.

No scene will ever be 100% ''secure''. Calls will be either under dispatched or over dispatched,people lie on the phone, family members react in various ways on calls. Police can and have been disarmed on calls,our PD recommended our armor be the same threat level as theirs for that exact reason.

The choice is yours. Stay Safe.
 
I said it in another thread...

...and I'll say it here to. The BEST self-defense weapons medical providers have are their brain, their mouth and their feet.
 
usalsfyre said:
...and I'll say it here to. The BEST self-defense weapons medical providers have are their brain, their mouth and their feet.
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I'll remember to tell the next guy who hits me over the head with a pipe that I don't appreciate it....

.
 
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HotelCo said:
I'll remember to tell the next guy who hits me over the head with a pipe that I don't appreciate it....

.
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The point being, most situations can be defused by recognizing things aren't right, attempting to to use communication to your advantage while vacating the area if need be.
 
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HotelCo said:
I'll remember to tell the next guy who hits me over the head with a pipe that I don't appreciate it....

.
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LOL!!! I think it's all on whoever wants to wear a vest and whoever doesn't. Hey if you feel safer with it then by all means wear one (I would if I could), if not then good for you as well.

You never know what could happen and if your neighborhood is as bad as mine you'd want to wear one as well, no matter how "hot" it is... Put the complaints away and protect yourself while doing your job, it's quite simple if you think about it.

This is a preference subject so opinions are all good, let's just not bash each other about what one likes.
 
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I never wore a vest, but looking back, in at least 2 of my employments it would probably have been a good idea.

One of the places people wouldn't shoot you because you were in EMS. They would shoot you because you were a particlar color not theirs.

The other had a rather antigovernment official sentiment, and EMS wearing all black uniforms with gold metal badges was probably asking for it.

It is not the people who can shoot to worry about. It is the ones that can't.

I fully support if there is a known danger, don't go there. But again, it is not what is known that is at issue. With the highly charged political climate in the US right now, there are just one too many madmen out there.
 
HotelCo said:
I'll remember to tell the next guy who hits me over the head with a pipe that I don't appreciate it....

.
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usalsfyre said:
The point being, most situations can be defused by recognizing things aren't right, attempting to to use communication to your advantage while vacating the area if need be.
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True... but there will be times that it's not possible because the person attacking you wants to beat you, stab you, or kill you... simply because you're there.
Veneficus said:
I never wore a vest, but looking back, in at least 2 of my employments it would probably have been a good idea.

One of the places people wouldn't shoot you because you were in EMS. They would shoot you because you were a particlar color not theirs.

The other had a rather antigovernment official sentiment, and EMS wearing all black uniforms with gold metal badges was probably asking for it.

It is not the people who can shoot to worry about. It is the ones that can't.

I fully support if there is a known danger, don't go there. But again, it is not what is known that is at issue. With the highly charged political climate in the US right now, there are just one too many madmen out there.
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There's one too many madmen everywhere... and not JUST in the US. It's not the tool being wielded, it's the person wielding the tool that's the problem.
 
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If you feel that you work in an area where there is a chance of being shot/stabbed wear a BP vest. Its simple.
 
I know a few medics that wear stab vests under their uniform. Never seen actual body armor but the area I live in doesn't have a ton of gun violence.
 
lampnyter said:
If you feel that you work in an area where there is a chance of being shot/stabbed wear a BP vest. Its simple.
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Protection from being shot is a different thing than from being stabbed.

IMHO, EMS has a greater threat from the second; needles, etc.

Also, its easier to grab a gun than a knife. Its also harder to run after someone holding a gun than a knife.
 
I have yet to start even my training, but on self defense I do know about. Most likley it seems I will be starting in a city that is known for violence. I will wear a BP/Stab Resistant vest, depending on what my findings are on what is more suitable for the area.

Even if I don't work in a bad area, hind sight is 20/20. Now when I move this summer, I will get my LTC (I am already trained and certified) and carry everywhere except work. If you think that you don't need a vest, that's your decision. I also think it's important to learn at least basic self defense.
 
Gray said:
I have yet to start even my training, but on self defense I do know about. Most likley it seems I will be starting in a city that is known for violence. I will wear a BP/Stab Resistant vest, depending on what my findings are on what is more suitable for the area.

Even if I don't work in a bad area, hind sight is 20/20. Now when I move this summer, I will get my LTC (I am already trained and certified) and carry everywhere except work. If you think that you don't need a vest, that's your decision. I also think it's important to learn at least basic self defense.
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You could always get one that protects from both! B)
 
Just because no one else touched on this: there is no such thing as a bullet proof vest. There are varying degrees of body armor that protect against an increasing types of rounds (a level IV vest can stop anything a level III can for example). If you don't know what type of armor you I've it's important to look it up. Unless it has hard plates in it, the max level of protection is IIIa which can stop 9mm JHP rounds and hollow points/soft points in most larger pistol calibers. It won't stop rifle rounds.
Soft Kevlar does absolutely nothing against stabs, but any armor with a hard plate will.
 
Ghost said:
Don't want to become a cop, rather save lives instead of possibly taking them. Just figured I'd ask about it...
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Sorry to break the news to you but if you want to save lives you should of become a doctor, at best we keep them alive long enough to reach the hospital but it is the doctors who do the actual saves.
 
subliminal1284 said:
Sorry to break the news to you but if you want to save lives you should of become a doctor, at best we keep them alive long enough to reach the hospital but it is the doctors who do the actual saves.
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Without EMS doctors wouldn't be able to get to a lot of patients before they died... So who saves the life? The guy that managed the injury to the point to where it wasn't life threatening anymore or the one who did the treatment after the patients life was no longer at risk?
Not that I'm saying every patient will be that way, but some are.
 
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