By Christmas, all 855 members of the Cincinnati Fire Department will have received their custom-fitted bulletproof vests.
I'll repeat that -- slowly. Bullet. Proof. Vests.
If this is a new reality, it runs counter to how I have always viewed this honorable occupation. In my mind's eye, a firefighter is a hero who would climb a ladder and pluck Morris from a towering oak tree. No vest needed.
A firefighter waves back at you from the big, red truck in the homecoming parade. No vest needed.
A firefighter's hose saves your home from being a total loss. No vest needed.
Something has changed.
The threat of falling through a collapsing ceiling, an elevator shaft or oxygen deprivation is not the only on-the-job danger today's firefighters have to worry about. They also have to consider getting shot.