Body armor approved for firefighters, EMTs

By Nathaniel Underwood

Member of the Central Fire & EMS district board moved to purchase nine sets of body armor vests for local EMTs at their most recent meeting held last Thursday.

The protective vests are starting to become standard equipment for many ambulances in the area and the purchase would provide greater safety for district EMTs that must go into potentially dangerous environments. At the meeting, it was noted that EMS personnel can find themselves in what was described as the “warm” zone during incidents where a police perimeter has been set up.

The double homicide in Abbotsford in July further highlighted the need for protective vests to the district. EMS personnel were in the “hot” zone during the incident without any sort of additional protection.

While a specific set was not chosen at the time of the meeting, the vests were estimated to cost about $1,000 each on the high end. These sets would include a helmet, a plate carrier and a plate and would be adjustable to

See BODY ARMOR/ Page 8 Body armor

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fit most sizes. Each set was estimated to have a lifespan of 10 to 20 years. The exact cost of the set would depend on the specifics of which equipment the district ultimately would decide upon.

“There’s different levels of plates that you can get,” chief Joe Mueller said. “The higher the level, the heavier the bullet it can take, the more you pay for it. If it’s just a pistol plate, it doesn’t cost as much as one that can take a rifle shot.”

The district has been working with the Colby-Abbotsford Police Department to try and get similar equipment so that pieces could be swapped out between the sets if necessary. The most recent set purchased by

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vidual did not meet the criteria for an emergency detention. The concerned parties were advised to contact authorities again if the individual's behavior escalated.

■ ■ Nov. 13 - A welfare check was requested for an individual residing in Colby. The officer was advised that the individual’s daughter had not heard from her mother in two days. The officer met with the individual who stated that she had talked with her daughter earlier that day over social media. The individual explained that she needed to be careful on how she speaks with her children because she does not want to speak with their father, her ex-husband. She believes that her daughter would not have called unless the father had forced her to.

The individual stated that she contacts her kids every day. The officer called the daughter back and informed her that her mother was doing well. While speaking with the daughter, the officer heard a male’s voice in the background ordering the daughter to give him the phone.

The male, which the officer understood to be the father, then asked the officer if the mother was going to call him. The officer told the male that they did not know, as they were sent to do a welfare check. The male said he was not interested in the individual’s state of being. He stated that the reason he had the daughter call wasn’t for a welfare check, but because he wanted her to contact him in regards to their daughter, who he claimed had 103-degree fever. He claimed that the individual had not connected with the daughter in three days and said she was having personal problems when he informed her of the daughter’s fever. The male then demanded that the officer check on the individual again, claiming that she had “a lot of problems” and accused her of misusing drugs.

The officer told the male that a welfare check had already been conducted. The male cut the officer off, cursed at them, then hung up. The male had been yelling throughout the conversation. An hour later, the officer was informed that the male had called Marathon County, claiming that he needed to speak with his ex-wife in regards to the daughter’s medical history.

The officer called the ex-wife and told her that her ex wished to ask her questions regarding their daughter’s medical history. The individual stated that her daughter was fine. She said her daughter told her that the fever was 99 degrees. The officer let the woman know that they would be willing to go to her house and have the conversation between her