Vests

[gradygirl]

I think this may have been a post at one point in time, but I was wondering what people thought about EMS and wearing bulletproof vests. I live/go to school/work in Hartford for about 8 months out of the year and will start working at an ambulance service in Hartford this spring. A few of my older medic friends wear vests religiously, having come up during the Hartford gang wars in the 90s. I've even been at a party at school and had the window I was standing near be shot out by some random person from the surrounding neighborhood.

What are people's opinions on a) vests in general and b) vests in city settings?

[MMiz]

Like almost everything in EMS it's up to you. I can tell you that the one EMT who wore a vest at my service got so much crap that he stopped wearing it. People would lunge at him with forks, or get on the radio and call for our armored unit.

I wouldn't wear one, but whatever floats your boat.

[Jon]

I own one, but rarely wear it anymore. It is always with me, in my bag in the ambulance.

I wore it regularly for almost a year, but it is too hot and uncomfortable, and I only pull it out and wear it when things get "intresting" with the local gangs. Things have been heating up, so I should start to think about wearing it again.... dunno.

If you want to wear one, by all means, go for it. it is a decent life insurance policy for a couple of hundred bucks.

[KEVD18]

i would say it depends on the service you work for, the service area you cover and the shift you work. for example, you work a day shift for a private transport company in a reasobly safe area. vest isnt necessary. you work a day shift for a city rescue in a bad area, coin toss on this one. night shift in detroit on the city rescue, i would say HELL YES!!!

bottom line, its up to you and whether you feel safe. if the vest makes you feel better, hazing be damned, wear it. dont let them discourage you.

for the record, i work a private service, night shift, w/ a major metro city m/a contract. i wear a vest when the calls sound like they might need it( bad area, pd on scene, unkwn emerg call etc...)

be safe

[GaEMT]

Like American Express Don't leave home without it........But then again I live in sucha lovely crime free city LOL

[Jon]

Oh, as for hazing... I catch more crap from the PD and the ALS guys than my own partners... part of that is that they don't mind having me to "hide behind" ;)

[Tincanfireman]

This may be a local urban legend or just a tall tale, but it goes like this: One of my friends got a job on DC Fire and was assigned to one of the not-so-nice areas (I'm not from DC and last visited in 1973, K? :rolleyes: ) Anyway, Bob was working an ETOH-related assault one night and the perp was still feeling his oats when EMS showed up. Now, Bob was a tremendously nice, caring, and dedicated medic who was about 5' 8" and all of about 125 lbs. The Bad Guy didn't really want the Good Guys to treat the guy he had just pummelled, so he squared off on my friend. Bob was wearing a vest with a stab plate at the time and the guy tried hitting him a ton, not realizing in his condition that his target was wearing the vest. According to the story, the combination of booze and fatigue probably attenuated the impact, but it was still a pretty good poke. He managed to hit the stab plate square on, causing Bob to rock back on his heels about a quarter inch and causing said perp more than a little bit of perceived pain. His eyes got real big when he realized that this skinny little guy was still glaring at him after his assault. At this point, Bob's partner leaned over and oh-so-gently told him that if he tried it again, Bob was going to hit *him*, and it wasn't gonna be pretty sight. At this point, Big Bad Dude transformed into Crying Remorseful Dude who begged Bob to spare his life and apologized so much that the arresting officer finally told him to shut up or he was gonna take a whack at him. :P I've lost track of him over the years so I can't authenticate the story, but thought you might like to hear it, nonetheless. TF

[sarahharter]

the new squad that i run with does standyby at high school football games and i happly wear the vest. no questions asked.

[MMiz]

One added bonus of a ballistic vest / body armor is the protection it would provide if you were to get an an MVC. If you've been in EMS long enough you're going to get in an MVC. It's just a matter of time.

[DT4EMS]

Two Points:

1) If you buy a vest, wear it every day....not just for the calls that sound like they might be bad. It is the supposed "safe scenes" where EMS get attacked.

2) If people recognize their is a problem enough that EMS may be the victim of an assault like being SHOT.... why are they not traininig their people more?

Point is, just like a police officer has to lay hands on EVERY person he takes to jail but they force them to "qualify" with a firearm quarterly. Doens't make a lot of sense does it?

THe numbers say 52% of EMS providers have been assualted in the field. THe chances of being shot are far LESS than that of being stabbed, punched or kicked.

[gradygirl]

Thanks for all of the comments. I think I will be in the market for a vest soon; I will be working the night shift on an emergency transport team in Hartford, kind of a nasty combo.

Here's another question: what are the best/people's preferences for vests?

[DT4EMS]

Thanks for all of the comments. I think I will be in the market for a vest soon; I will be working the night shift on an emergency transport team in Hartford, kind of a nasty combo.

Here's another question: what are the best/people's preferences for vests?

I always liked Second Chance. Very comfortable compared to some of the others.

[ffemt8978]

Was it Second Chance or Point Blank that just went bankrupt?

[DT4EMS]

Was it Second Chance or Point Blank that just went bankrupt?

I am not sure....... I haven't heard much out of Point Blank for a few years......

[Jon]

Galls' vests are made by, or were made by PointBlank... mine is the mid-range galls' vest (IIA) and is manufactured by Point Blank.

Whatever you do... get one that FITS properly, and don't go for the "Level III SWAT vest" unless you REALLY want to wear that... a IIa or II should be "good enough" unless Dirty Harry is a cop in your town, running around with a 44mag...

[Jon]

the new squad that i run with does standyby at high school football games and i happly wear the vest. no questions asked.
What sort of high school?

I always liked High School Football standbys with my vollie squad... I graduated school with "that guy's" sister, and I get to see some of the old teachers, etc... (But this is "small town" suburbia, not inner city).

I couldn't imagine a "safer" enviroment...

[gradygirl]

Hey man, high school can be scary. we had such an intense rivalry with this one school that we always played football games at other stadiums so we were always on neutral ground. I've been told, though it's never been completely validated, that at one game someone from our school slashed the tires of the other school's busses and they attempted to tip one of our busses. Now, I don't believe most of it, but we always have armed cops at any of our sporting events against this school.

[gradygirl]

Umm, ok, so I don't know why that posted twice. Weird. :huh:

Oh, and DT4, I just talked to my best friend and he says that he's been wearing a vest in Hartford for 12 years. His first two were Point Blanks and his current one is a Second Chance.

[fm_emt]

Hey man, high school can be scary. We had such an intense rivalry with this one school that we always played football games at other stadiums so we were always on neutral ground. I've been told, though it's never been validated, that at one game someone from our school slashed the tires of the other school's busses and they attempted to tip one of our busses. Now, I don't believe any of it, but we always have armed cops at any of our sporting events against this school.

Yeah, similar around here. Usually it's when you get the idiot gang bangers from each school to meet in the middle. that's where the problems arise.

[JJR512]

For those of you who wear vests or otherwise have a preference, do you prefer the more discreet, under-the-shirt type, or the obvious over-the-shirt, tactical-style vest?

My guess is that those of you who wear them all the time go for the under-the-shirt, whereas those of you who only want to toss it on when you feel you might need it prefer the tactical style. But my guess aside, I'm still interested in hearing your comments on this.

[gradygirl]

I'm getting a concealable, under-the-shirt vest. I think a tactical vest would be almost as dangerous as wearing a sign that says "Here I am! I'm an EMT in a vest! Shoot me! Shoot me!" Besides, I think that would suck during the summer.

[Jon]

For those of you who wear vests or otherwise have a preference, do you prefer the more discreet, under-the-shirt type, or the obvious over-the-shirt, tactical-style vest?

My guess is that those of you who wear them all the time go for the under-the-shirt, whereas those of you who only want to toss it on when you feel you might need it prefer the tactical style. But my guess aside, I'm still interested in hearing your comments on this.
I own a concealble vest... I also have an outer carrier for the vest with "EMS" on it.. but i've never used it.

[MMiz]

The ultimate goal is that you are protected, look professional, but do not look like PD. I would think wearing it under the uniform shirt is your best bet.

[Jon]

On that note... a conceable vest really isn't that hidden... Start looking at the local PD... you can tell if/when they wear a vest.

Also, don't be suprised to find that some of your co-workers react oddly to the idea of you wearing a vest... some will look at you really funny... and some will take to punching you in the chest for no reason (this is when it is a good idea to wear that steel trauma plate in the front of the vest... that HURTS!).

[gradygirl]

Well, if they start to punch me, I'll just punch them back in the same exact place, but they won't be wearing a vest! :P

[GaEMT]

They all suck in the summer. But it beats the permanent dirt nap. In Georgia it is real nice when it is 98 degrees and humidity of 85% or so. You don't have to worry about attracting any members of the opposite sex. LOL. But if you really want a good cardio workout, run a couple of miles with the thing on!

[JJR512]

They all suck in the summer. But it beats the permanent dirt nap. In Georgia it is real nice when it is 98 degrees and humidity of 85% or so. You don't have to worry about attracting any members of the opposite sex. LOL. But if you really want a good cardio workout, run a couple of miles with the thing on!
On that note...My firefighter instructor goes to the gym and does the treadmill and stepper in full turnout gear, including SCBA. Not with the facepiece on, of course, because the air wouldn't last that long. But despite the odd looks he gets, I have no doubt he can outlast anyone half his age on the fireground...

[Kendall]

For my service, it's optional - but generally discouraged. We're a volunteer stand-by service and the higher ups tend not to want members buying their own equipment... Kinda silly, but we'll roll with it.

Edmonton EMS makes it mandatory for all active care employees to wear a concealed trauma and ballistics vest while on duty - you don't wear it, you're unemployed.

I'm trying to convince my service to go with an over-garment style vest. It can be deployed on teams going into high risk situations or venues and it adds a higher level of visibility.

Personally, I would wear one if I were employed in the field. I want to make sure my future kids have a father at the end of my shift. Things are so unpredictable out there - which is why I'll opt to be a paramedic instructor.

As MMiz said - it's totally up to you!

[Airwaygoddess]

i would say it depends on the service you work for, the service area you cover and the shift you work. for example, you work a day shift for a private transport company in a reasobly safe area. vest isnt necessary. you work a day shift for a city rescue in a bad area, coin toss on this one. night shift in detroit on the city rescue, i would say HELL YES!!!

bottom line, its up to you and whether you feel safe. if the vest makes you feel better, hazing be damned, wear it. dont let them discourage you.

for the record, i work a private service, night shift, w/ a major metro city m/a contract. i wear a vest when the calls sound like they might need it( bad area, pd on scene, unkwn emerg call etc...)

be safeBetter to safe than sorry! I plan on dying a little old lady at 96 and a half and being pleasantly confused saying to all of the folks, " back in my day when I was a medic!!!! Hee! Hee!!

[fortsmithman]

Galls' vests are made by, or were made by PointBlank... mine is the mid-range galls' vest (IIA) and is manufactured by Point Blank.

Whatever you do... get one that FITS properly, and don't go for the "Level III SWAT vest" unless you REALLY want to wear that... a IIa or II should be "good enough" unless Dirty Harry is a cop in your town, running around with a 44mag...
Where I live we don't have many people who have pistols. The firearm of choice up here are rifles in the .30-06 to 300 win magnum range. I'd be weraing a lvl 3 or 4 vest since a .30-06 or .300 win magnum round can go through a lvl 2 vest.

[MMiz]

This thread is a few years old. Lets let is rest in piece.