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TO: Mayor Richard C. Irvin
FROM: David McCabe, Fire Assistant Chief, and Jim Rufer, Fire Battalion Chief
DATE: February 21, 2019
SUBJECT:
A resolution to purchase sixty (60) tactical ballistic vests, helmets, accessories, and medical supplies to prepare the Aurora Fire Department to effectively respond to, and treat the victims of, a mass casualty or active assailant incident.
PURPOSE:
To outfit the Aurora Fire Department personnel and apparatus with the necessary equipment to safely and effectively respond to, and provide life-saving care to, victims of a mass casualty or active assailant incident.
BACKGROUND:
The Aurora Fire Department began rescue task force (RTF) training in conjunction with the Aurora Police Department in 2018, as one facet of the larger Complex Coordinated Terrorist Attack (CCTA) grant and program.
DISCUSSION:
Rescue Task Force (RTF) is a method by which teams of police officers and firefighters systematically search for, treat, and remove to safety for transport to a medical facility, people who have been injured during an active assailant event. The RTFs enter a structure or area where an assailant may not yet be neutralized, but is isolated from the location where victims are believed to be. By RTFs going into action and providing life-saving bleeding and airway treatment in a timely manner, victims of an attack have a better chance of survival.
Aurora Fire Department personnel, after consulting with Aurora Police Department SRT leader Rick Robertson and multiple ballistic protection vendors, developed a list of requirements for ballistic protection for the fire department that would provide a high level of protection, yet allow personnel to effectively perform emergency medical care for victims of an attack. Five quotes were received for the ballistic protection equipment, which all met the requirements for the equipment the fire department had set, which includes the vests, helmets, and related accessories.
Resea...
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