- Webster, New York (2012) - A lone gunman ambushed firefighters as they responded to a house fire. The gunman was a 62YOM who set fire to the house and vehicle to lure in firefighters, and then opened fire on them from across the street. Two firefighters were killed and two others injured.
- Tallahassee, Florida (2014) - Police and Fire responded to a report of a structure fire which was intentionally set by the gunman. Police arrived first on scene where an officer was ambushed and killed immediately. The gunman then took the officer’s service weapon and began shooting at the responding fire department units. One police officer was killed and one officer was shot and wounded.
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin (2015) - A firefighter was grazed with a bullet to his head, and the ambulance shot multiple times as crews tended to a medical emergency. The firefighter was transported to a local hospital where he was later released.
- Baltimore, Maryland (2015) - A firefighter was shot in the hand by a male suspect outside of a cell phone store. The suspect reportedly had an argument inside the store and when he left, shot at the on duty firefighter as well as a civilian nearby. Both suffered non life threatening injuries.
- New York, New York(2015) - As a warrant was being served, a suspect barricaded himself in his home and set off a smoke bomb. Police officers called for the fire department unaware it was only smoke. The FDNY lieutenant entered the apartment and was shot twice by the suspect.
Best Practices
- Fire and rescue members should never travel alone, regardless of the situation. Utilize a buddy system at all times in uniform.
- Ensure radios are within reach. Members often store the radio in their back pocket with no lapel mic, making it difficult to access in a time of need. Members should consider attaching lapel mic to radio to be able to communicate quickly.
- Members are reminded that the fire department must now consider ourselves as potential targets and act accordingly. We are not only targets of international terrorism, but also from homegrown violent extremists.
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