First responders along the First Coast are getting new tools in their first line of defense during an active shooter situation.
"Our EMS skills have been continually evolving and getting more complicated and more advanced," said JFRD Union President Randy Wyse.
Following last year's shooting at the Jacksonville Landing, lawmakers gave paramedics the opportunity to carry a gun to high-risk scenes. Agencies like JFRD aren't going that far, but they've added other equipment to the fleet.
"Firefighters are now equipped with tactical body armor. So, that's another big step in the protection piece," Wyse told First Coast News.
Wyse says on-duty firefighters are not allowed to carry guns, but through continuous training with law enforcement agencies, even after the Landing shooting - there's been a much more coordinated effort by relying on each other to reduce greater harm.