Falling through a collapsing roof or starving for oxygen in rooms filled with smoke have long been among the occupational hazards for firefighters, said Houston fire Chief Samuel Peña, but his department “must now also consider protection against violent acts.”
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Houston joins an expanding list of fire departments — Boston, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh among them — that have purchased the vests.
“It is a new reality that is contrary to how we’ve always viewed this honorable profession, but protective clothing must be compatible with the environment we work in,” Peña, who oversees some 4,000 firefighters, said in a statement Wednesday.Â