Merrill Fire Department recently purchased new ballistic vests for its paramedics to wear on potentially high threat EMS calls, replacing the outdated, hard-to-maintain ballistic vests the department had been using, the Merrill Fire Department announced this week.
In addition to active shooter scenarios, paramedics will wear the vests on calls that involve drug overdoses, domestic violence and physical altercations. Need for the vests were emphasized after the tragic shooting of Appleton firefighter Mitch Lundgaard in May 2019 during a routine EMS call of a drug overdose, the Merrill Fire Department said. The vests were paid for with a $6,000 grant from Ascension Good Samaritan Hospital in June 2021, allowing MFD to buy four ballistic vests.