Firat responder carry??

[Chef]

Figured I would ask the resident experts before I asked Mr.Google.

What is the latest update on the first responder carry regulations? It was brought up in our VFD meeting tonight.

[flywise]

My chief told me only volunteers can carry at this time
I personally have not checked to see if he was accurate with his statement

[FireNguns]

Maybe y'all can make sense of this. Sounds like it is just waiting for Abbott to approve or veto before going into law. Not sure when that happens though. I personally am looking forward to it as a full time fireman.

Does sound like we will have to have an additional 20 hours of training and maintain CHL/LTC.

http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/84R/billtext/html/SB01684I.htm

[Chef]

Maybe y'all can make sense of this. Sounds like it is just waiting for Abbott to approve or veto before going into law. Not sure when that happens though. I personally am looking forward to it as a full time fireman.

Does sound like we will have to have an additional 20 hours of training and maintain CHL/LTC.

http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs...l/SB01684I.htm

That was basically what we were using for reference. The cloudy area was the CHL/LTC requirement but was told that the 20 hour education would be required and hosted by "established county sheriff office firearms instructors".

Guess we will have to wait and see.

[TxMedic]

17 years and I've never felt the need to carry on shift.

[Artos]

17 years and I've never felt the need to carry on shift.

Ya never need it till ya need it...if you are able, capable & legal to do so amigo, plz consider. The climate is changing & never know when an ugly circumstance could arise. Too many stories of every day folks turning the tides on bad situations...FWIW.

[Ironman]

Ya never need it till ya need it...if you are able, capable & legal to do so amigo, plz consider. The climate is changing & never know when an ugly circumstance could arise. Too many stories of every day folks turning the tides on bad situations...FWIW.

Heck, first responders have been called into an ambush. I would carry if I was a first responder.

[Jeremy7306]

I'm fairly certain the bill for volunteers only is just waiting for Gov Abbott to sign. The bill for all first responders unfortunately died off due to no action. That's how I understood it


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Doug Roberts]

17 years and I've never felt the need to carry on shift.

Ya never need it till ya need it...if you are able, capable & legal to do so amigo, plz consider. The climate is changing & never know when an ugly circumstance could arise. Too many stories of every day folks turning the tides on bad situations...FWIW.

Heck, first responders have been called into an ambush. I would carry if I was a first responder.

The way I see it.... Its like a parachute,... It you need it and dont have it, dont worry, you will never need it again.

I carry pretty much at all times and if I cant carry there, chances are I wont go. On the chance that I do have to go somewhere I cant carry, I dont like it, but will do that is required by law while I am there. I will hurry up get what needs to be done and get the heck out.

[Robert]

While I was on our local Volunteer Dept it seemed like some of the guys got a little "overzealous" in their rolls as a Volunteer fireman. You know the Professional Volunteer type.
Most anyone that has been on a small local Vol Dept knows the guy I'm talking about. These people are dangerous enough with out a gun. I can see them now all strapped up and strutting around.

[Chef]

While I was on our local Volunteer Dept it seemed like some of the guys got a little "overzealous" in their rolls as a Volunteer fireman. You know the Professional Volunteer type.
Most anyone that has been on a small local Vol Dept knows the guy I'm talking about. These people are dangerous enough with out a gun. I can see them now all strapped up and strutting around.

This is my fear as an officer and as someone new to the insurance business!! My "liability" red flag went off quickly. Most of our guys are business professionals and paid guys that commute back and forth to the Metroplex but we all have "that guy".

Based on our location, "if" you needed help, Ellis County SO is 15-20 minutes out; at best!! I would never admit to it but most of our guys are protected during almost all EMS calls already. MVC's and fires are a bit more difficult.

[Robert]

i have seen "that guy" do some crazy things.

[FF36]

There is a reason the public trust EMS/Firefighters. If it becomes common to see firefighters with guns its only time before that trust is gone. I understand how it would make you more comfortable to have it on you. But to me thats become part of the job in todays age unfortunately.

[Mac]

Too many problems with it in my eyes. Biggest being trust from the patients. I work on a pretty rough side of town and in all honesty if I had a gun strapped on my hip all bets would be off and the trust would be gone in a heartbeat. Secondly what do you do w/ it for a regular alarm. Take it out and leave it in an unlocked truck? Lock box that adds additional time to your turnout? We've had stuff stolen out of the fire trucks as petty as a yeti cup and as far as the truck itself. Third is who holds the liability if you do have to use your weapon? More insurance riders I'm assuming for the city, but if they don't eat that cost someone has to. Lastly training, if your gonna carry a gun you're now going to have a target on your back. So now you have to cross train every ff in law enforcement tactics as well as the regular ce for the suppression and ems sides of it.
To me I trust my life to my brothers in blue and know if I need them they will be there, just as if they need anything from us we will be there for them just as it always has been.

[Banded Drake Calls]

I have mixed feelings about it. As a professional firefighter I know too many people not only in our department, but our county volunteer departments too that just have no business carrying a gun on scene. Think of how the media would spin it too if a gun fire broke out with fire/ems personnel, the public trust would just be gone completely. We've probably all been in a situation at some point that made us second guess what we were doing, but we never go to questionable scenes without PD, and most of the time the boys in blue are nearby should we need them. We can all sit here and "what if" this thing all day long, but as long as there's always that "one guy" we all mention, it's just not a good idea. Plus the liability involved, this whole idea can get ugly real quick. I love my job to much to have it ended because some lawyer wants to convince people I made a bad decision

Banded Drake Custom Calls