Active shooter kits now part of Polk Fire Rescue equipment lockers

BARTOW, Fla. (FOX 13) - Polk County Fire Rescue now has potentially life-saving equipment in the event of an active shooter situation.

“In this day and age, with everything that’s going on, the question if not 'If?' but 'When?'” said Chris Jonckheer, spokesman for the agency.

Trucks will now be equipped with ballistic helmets, vests, and so-called 'go bags' with gauze to stop bleeding and other items used in triage.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office picked up a hefty portion of the bill, which was $144,000. Each kit costs $1,200. It may sound like a lot of money, but it's a small price to pay to possibly save lives.

The new equipment is just the department’s latest attempt to prepare for what Jonckheer suspects is inevitable.

They say it’s just a matter of time before this equipment is needed - again.

It already happened a few years ago in Winter Haven, when a man with an arsenal of firepower holed up in a warehouse.

“One of our medics who was a Polk County Fire Rescue member was shot during that incident,” Polk County Fire Rescue spokesperson Carrie Horstman said.

The bullet hit John Mikula in the shoulder. He was lucky. He survived.

Hopefully, this new equipment will help others do the same.

Polk County Fire Rescue, with the financial help of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, bought 120 sets.

Fire rescue workers attended classroom training for what to do in case they encounter an active shooter.