Roanoke Fire EMS talk about equipment that kept them safe for Tuesday's shooting

ROANOKE (WSLS 10) - Roanoke Fire EMS responded to Tuesday morning's shooting and shared with WSLS 10 are shared how they deal with dangerous calls.

"We've defined that acts of violence are a risk in our community like across the nation. Roanoke is not unique to that, but we have to be prepared for that," Hoback said.

Fire Chief David Hoback said they just started using bulletproof vests and helmets, the same type of equipment police use when they go in unsafe environments.

Hoback said he's glad emergency management has created a plan to make sure first responders know how to handle themselves in stressful environments.

"In this day and time, unfortunately, we have to prepare our personnel to go into situations that are considered a warm zone where we may not know if there's a secondary shooter or secondary threat," Marci Stone, Roanoke City Emergency Management said.