Aiding the Public, Watching Their Backs : So It Has Come to This--an Era in Which Firefighters Must Wear Bulletproof Vests

Firefighters face enough danger from flames and fumes without having to worry about protecting their backs from bullets. Yet, unhappily, that has become a concern.

Last week the Santa Ana City Council approved a Fire Department request to buy 130 bulletproof vests, at a cost of $400 each. The department has begun working on a formal policy requiring its firefighters to wear the vests in dangerous situations.

Similar policies are in effect in a number of city fire departments in Orange County, and in the county’s own department, which battles blazes in unincorporated areas.

Thankfully, firefighters are welcomed nearly every time they come roaring up to a blaze. They should be. They save lives and property at great risk to themselves.

But occasionally there is someone who decides to take aim at those protecting the community. Three years ago, during the Los Angeles riots after the verdict in the Rodney King case, Santa Ana Firefighter Lenny Edelman was shot in the thigh as he and colleagues from a number of Orange County departments responded to Los Angeles’ request for reinforcements.

Edelman was lucky. The heavy gear worn by firefighters helped keep his wound relatively minor and he was back on duty before too long. But he had been shot at once before--in Santa Ana. That bullet missed.

Officials said firefighters working as paramedics can face special risks because they may be called on to treat shooting victims while the shooter is still nearby. Several years ago, a Santa Ana firefighter was injured when a bullet hit a paramedics’ vehicle and the surprised driver crashed into a building. The extra protection provided by bulletproof vests is a sensible precaution for firefighters. But it is unfortunate that it increases the risk to the community, since the extra equipment could slow down firefighters in situations where speed is important.