Bellmore Firefighter Shot at Accident Scene - Reminds Us Why Police Are Needed at Scenes

Firefighters suffer incredibly stressful jobs as it is (both volunteer and paid), so it was especially shocking to hear that a Bellmore firefighter was shot in the upper torso at the scene of a motor vehicle accident, according to Newsday.

According to the article, the firefighter was walking towards the damaged vehicle that had been involved in a motor vehicle accident to help render aid when the man, wielding a gun, got out of the car and opened fire on the firefighter. The Bellmore firefighter was struck in the upper torso by the gun-wielding psychopath. The article was unclear whether law enforcement was already on scene or not, but officers subsequently did return fire, killing the man.

The firefighter was transferred via ambulance to Nassau University Medical Center where he is now said to be suffering non-life threatening injuries.

This incident is a scary, yet educational, reminder as to why law enforcement is constantly on scene, and why they are trained first responders in many areas - many emergencies may not be what they seem. Danger lurks everywhere, especially in today's day in age where even children are bringing weaponry to school. Violence towards first responders and other medical personnel, as well as firefighting personnel, isn't unheard of, either. Here are some documented cases:

August 2010, a man in Chicago opened fire at firefighting personnel trying to gain entry into his household. Initially the department responded because the man's emergency bracelet activated. After the man didn't answer his door the fire department tried to force their way in - a protocol held by fire departments so they can render aid, as many injured people are unable to get to the door.

In another example, a man in New York in West Babylon set his house on fire. When firefighters arrived on scene the man opened fire, shooting 10-20 shots before police took the man out.

In 2007 another example arose when firefighters responded to the scene of an "open burn". When they got there they asked the man overseeing the burn to end it when he got violent and shot on of the firefighters in the arm.

Early 2009 a two EMTs responded to a 911 call of a New York man. After some time the man became enraged, grabbed a high-powered rifle, and opened fire, killing one of the EMTs.

These are only a handful of examples, but violence towards emergency personnel - not just police - is growing. This is why it is important for law enforcement to be at the scene of all emergencies, whether it's a motor vehicle accident or a structure fire.

Police also add peace of mind for emergency personnel, acting as security, controlling traffic, and helping in rendering aid to patients.