Greenfield Firefighters and Police Officers Cross Trained to Better Protect You

In Greenfield, they're not just firefighters, medics and police officers anymore. They're learning each others jobs so they can have each others backs, and your back. Firefighters and paramedics in Greenfield carry ballistic vests because they're called out to a police situation much sooner.

"We would go to calls with the police department, but it was hours after their incident had subsided. Today, we're going as that incident is still in progress," said George Weber, Assistant Fire Chief for the Greenfield Fire Department.

At the same time, Greenfield's police officers know, even more, how to keep you alive. Not only do they carry an Automated External Defibrillator (AED), they have the necessary equipment in case you are bleeding profusely from a stabbing or bad car crash.

"This is just a tourniquet, they're small but they're easy to carry. Most officers carry them on their belt. This is an occlusive dressing, would be for a gunshot wound, and this is a gauze, treated with chemicals, to stop bleeding," said Dave Patrick, Assistant Chief for the Greenfield Police Department as he described what's kept in the back of the police cars.

The police and fire departments in Greenfield have always been like a big family, this just strengthens their relationship. Whatever they need, they've got each others backs.

"It just happens that much quicker and gets done that much better when you have that relationship and when you have that trust built in between the two departments," Asst. Chief Weber said.

Everyone in the Greenfield Fire Department knows how to put on the vests, and in the near future, some will be trained to follow police in to a test situation like a SWAT standoff which will make those vests even more important.