Body Armor in EMS

A January study by Drexel University showed that EMTs and paramedics are 14 times more likely to be violently attacked while on the job.

In late October 2015, two members of a paramedic crew in Detroit were attacked by a man wielding a box cutter. Both members of the crew sustained serious injury, and one of the members was slashed in the face. One of the members reported they came “within inches of dying.”

At the end of January, an Ark. firefighter was responding to an EMS call when he was shot and killed. The shooter was reported to be coming out of a seizure when he shot and killed the man.

Paramedics from across Australia were even moved to protest after a colleague was attacked and beaten while responding to a call. The protest aimed to move lawmakers to more harshly punish people who attack paramedics.

In response to this issue, many organizations are looking into providing body armor for their paramedics.

In some cases, such as in Cleveland, paramedics are even required to wear body armor. A policy took effect in late December of 2015 that required the city’s EMS personnel to wear the protection while on shift.

EMS agencies and fire departments in Pennsylvania, Missouri and Michigan all have either considered or implemented body armor policies within the last few months.

In Arkansas, shortly after the shooting of the firefighter responding to an EMS call, plans to buy ballistic vests were sped up. The agency had already planned on providing ballistic vests, but the event sparked a need to speed up the initiative.

For more information on body armor options visit the EMS World product guide.