VIDEO/PHOTOS: An Appleton fire station hosted the governor as he signed a bill that empowers EMS personnel.
On Tuesday, Gov. Tony Evers signed Senate Bill 829 at Appleton Fire Department Station No. 1.
The bill allows a tactical emergency medical services (TEMS) professional who is acting in the line of duty to carry a firearm in otherwise prohibited areas, such as fish hatcheries and wildlife refuges, school zones, and for the purposes of trespassing.
Since 2012, the Appleton Police Department has worked to integrate a TEMS unit into its Special Weapons and Tactics unit. This program allows a TEMS professional to be on site for high-risk calls to ensure immediate medical care is available when otherwise non-tactical EMS are not permitted.