Barrow County Emergency Services has purchased helmets and bulletproof vests and placed them on all equipment used on emergency calls.
The equipment was purchased using a $25,000 grant from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency/Homeland Security.
“This equipment will be worn by responding personnel when they are going (on) calls with a potential for violence (such as active shooter situations),” said Chief Alan Shuman. “The way we respond to calls that have violence involved has changed and we are putting ourselves at higher risk in some cases. We have to offer protection to our personnel so that they can do the job we require of them”
The equipment includes a ballistic vest and helmet for each person on the apparatus. Personnel have received training on the ballistic protective equipment as well as what to do when responding to violent calls.
“We must find ways to balance the safety of our personnel and the citizens we serve,” Shuman added. “This means we must train for many different situations and know how to protect ourselves as much as possible, while also going into some violent scenes to save citizens lives.”
