Jacksonville firefighters receive bullet resistant vests

Every riding member of the Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department is outfitted with a bullet resistant vest.

In August fire crews were first on scene at the Landing when a gunman opened fire killing two people and injuring several others before turning the gun on himself.

On Tuesday Chief Kurtis Wilson told Action News Jax the shooting made the department rethink safety protocol.

He said, “What happened at the Landing, we realized, we were caught in the middle of it – there was no staging, there was no police.”

Previously eight vests were stored in every chief’s vehicle.

Now there one for every riding position in the city.

“We got 400+ vests. Our daily minimum staffing is a little over 360 so we have a position for everybody that’s on duty," said Wilson.

Action News Jax first discussed the ballistic gear with JFRD in August when the department was budgeting for the vests.

According to Wilson, each vest costs $655, so, it cost more than $262,000 to outfit every riding member.

“Each year we get budgeted for uniform and bunker gear equipment, this is considered part of that,” he said.

Wilson said protecting their crews is well worth the money because it allows them to focus on helping others

Cox Media Group