CAFD receives bulletproof vests

After the Cloquet Area Fire District opened its February meeting with a moment of silence for fallen first responders in Burnsville, CAFD board members unanimously accepted a donation of 12 bulletproof vests from the Dead on Arms shooting range and firearms store.

Assistant fire chief Corey Larson said acquiring the new Safe Life Defense vests fulfills a key objective of a crew safety system. The district has been working with the Cloquet Police Department over the past two years to maximize safety when responding to hostile situations such as active shooter events.

"It is unfortunately quite timely," newly elected board chair Bruce Blacketter said of the donation, which coincidentally came on the heels of two recent shootings in Minnesota. CAFD responded to a shooting Jan. 8 at the Super 8 hotel in Cloquet. More recently, a Feb. 18 shooting in Burnsville claimed the life of firefighter and paramedic Adam Finseth and two police officers.

"It's one of those things that hits close to home, because we all respond to the same type of incidents," fire chief Jesse Buhs said, adding such events can result in the "same type of tragedy" experienced in Burnsville. "We take it to heart that every incident could be dangerous, could be violent, and that we need to work to protect our folks."

When they responded to the Super 8 shooting, Buhs said the crew didn't know it was a shooting when they arrived on scene. They didn't have body armor while the police did.

"But now we have it available, and it's a potential lifesaving device for our staff," Buhs said.

Sheila Lamb, representing Cloquet, said firefighters and paramedics should be treated the same as police since they help protect the community.

"If we can't take care of them, we don't take care of our community," said Lamb, who is also the Ward 2 city council member for Cloquet. "I'm very appreciative [of the donation], but I'm also very saddened and disheartened that we've come to this point in this day and age that we even have to think along these lines to keep them safe."

Such vests are becoming a more common part of firefighter equipment throughout the country, Larson said. He said the 12 vests, an estimated $7,749 value, should be enough to protect the nine to 10 career staff and any paid on-call members who may respond to a hostile environment - though more vests may be needed down the line.

"We also have to start looking at funding for a couple of additional vests just to make sure that all of our individuals - both big and small - can be covered with those different vests," Larson said.

The idea for the donation came about when Captain Chad Vermeesch was chatting with Candi Feiro, owner of Dead On Arms shooting range, about a handful of bulletproof vests the range couldn't sell. Feiro said she planned on donating them to the police department. When Vermeesch suggested the fire district could put them to good use, she decided on the spot that is where they needed to go.

"I have a special spot in my heart for firefighters in general," Feiro said. "I have several family members that are firefighters. So to me, helping them stay protected doing their job is very important."