Firefighters used to have a good idea of what dangers they faced on a call.
It was going to be smoke or flames. But as society has changed, so have the risk factors.
Two firefighters taking care of a patient at a bus station are stabbed by a bystander this summer in San Diego.
The firefighters survived the attack.This week, two Detroit Fire Department emergency medical technicians were stabbed while treating a patient. They are currently recovering from their injuries.
There is a saying among first responders, there’s no such thing as a routine call.
But more and more, those calls include dangers they never worried about before.
“It has changed our mindset because things have changed over the last five to 10 years,” said Kentwood Deputy Fire Chief Gregg Ginebaugh.
Rule number one has always been to check the scene.