FDL Fire And Rescue Personnel Train With Body Armor

Fond du Lac firefighters and paramedics completed training this week for a piece of equipment that is growing more necessary. The department bought 25 sets of body armor that can be worn during active shooter situations. Assistant Fire Chief Todd Janquart says waiting until it’s completely safely could mean the loss of lives. He says law enforcement will address the immediate shooter threat and clear areas for law enforcement and EMS to go in together. Janquart says in their line of work they take educated risks. He says the body armor weighs about 22 pounds. He says it’s not too restrictive and like a lot of their equipment is for saving lives. Over the past five years Fond du Lac has had three incidents in which police officers were shot at, and in two of them killed. When Officer Craig Birkholz was killed during a standoff in March of 2011 police found bullet holes in an ambulance standing by at the scene.