TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - A conversation about safety was sparked for local firefighters after a 77-year-old man was charged with killing a firefighter in Long Beach, California on Monday.
Would Toledo Firefighters be prepared if something like this happened to their crews while responding to a call for help?
This is a situation that Toledo fire has discussed in the past, and has put measures into place to protect firefighters at the scenes of fires and medical calls.
Each Lucas County Life Squad is equipped with two ballistic vests and helmets. Firefighter paramedics do strap them on if dispatchers warn of a potential threat at the scene they are headed to.
Toledo Police also are sent to calls with firefighters, when needed, to provide protection and keep watch while while firefighters are doing their job.
However, what happened in Long Beach has Toledo Firefighters thinking twice, taking a second look and reminding them to be more aware of their surroundings at every fire they respond to.
"We understand the dangers we face and accept those things, but this is a tough one because they were going to do a specific function and had no idea this person was allegedly waiting for them with a weapon," said Sterling Rahe of Toledo fire.
TFD will receive a detailed report on what happened in Long Beach and will use it to ensure that they are doing all they can to keep their crews safe.
Currently, Toledo firefighters are being trained along side Toledo Police.
The training is called rescue task force training, and is teaching firefighters how to continue to perform their job of saving lives while there is an active shooter or risk still out there.
