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Seguin Fire/EMS Department getting ballistic equipment for most dangerous scenarios

Seguin, TX, USA / Seguin Today
Seguin Fire/EMS Department getting ballistic equipment for most dangerous scenarios


(Seguin) — Active shooter events and other acts of mass violence have made the world a more dangerous place for everyone, including those who respond to calls for help. That, of course, includes law enforcement officials, who may run into a hail of gunfire, but it also includes firefighters and paramedics who are also called out to those scenes. The Seguin Fire/EMS Department is taking some extra steps to try to keep their personnel safe in the very dangerous situations.

Assistant Fire Chief Garrick Herbert recently explained to the Seguin City Council why the fire department was seeking funding to purchase ballistic wear and other supplies to deal with these situations.  

“Unfortunately, we find ourselves facing a lot of new threats these days in the field. A lot of them are things that we wished we didn’t have to deal with. A lot of violent incidents, and I know we all see that on the news on the regular. Currently, our organization does not have a steady supply of ballistic vests and helmets, and those are part of the recommendations for any entry teams on these types of violent incidents. Fire departments, as you know, no longer sit outside and wait for SWAT or anything like that. We go in with police now, so that we can have the greatest survivability profile for the folks that we’re trying to treat. This equipment helps to make sure that we have what we need to keep our responders safe,” said Herbert.

The council approved a $75,000 budget amendment that will be used to purchase the equipment.

In addition to the purchase of equipment, local first responders are also doing all that they can to prepare for these events. Herbert says the city’s emergency response team is an active participant in the Guadalupe Active Threat Committee.

They also recently participated in a large-scale county wide drill at Seguin High School. He says there are also monthly preparatory meetings and drills conducted, so if there is an act of mass violence in this community, then they are ready to respond appropriately.