A state lawmaker says he plans to work on legislation that would spell out that first responders can carry weapons with them while on the job.
State Sen. Trent Garner, R-El Dorado, whose district includes Pine Bluff, said he has been contacted by several first responders in the wake of last week's shooting in Pine Bluff that left two paramedics injured. One of them had a gun, and after being shot three times, was able to return fire, killing the assailant.
Garner said he did not believe there was any state law that would preclude a first responder, such as an emergency medical technician, from having a concealed-carry permit, but new legislation would make it clear that it is allowed.
He said any adjustment to the law would yield to an agency's policy on whether employees can carry weapons.
"That's not a legal matter," Garner said, referring to a company's policy. "I don't want to step in on that and override what a company is doing."
Garner said he thought it was a good idea for first responders to carry firearms, referring to the Pine Bluff incident. He said the bravery of the paramedics in that situation and the fact that one of them could defend himself likely saved their lives and the life of the woman they were giving aid to.
Garner said legislation could take two forms. The first would be to clarify state law to ensure that first responders and their employers know that carrying a weapon under a concealed-carry permit is legal.
The other option, he said, would be more formal and would allow emergency medical technicians and paramedics to go through training that would allow them to carry weapons in the same capacity as law enforcement officers. He said that would allow a gun carried by such workers to be concealed or carried in a holster.
"Outside of something like that," Garner said, "the company has the right to set policy."
The Pine Bluff shooting occurred early Thursday morning. A woman called 911, saying her knee was injured and she needed an ambulance. There was no mention in the call that her knee injury was the result of an altercation with her boyfriend. An ambulance, but no police unit, was dispatched. Had there been a hint that the case involved domestic violence, police would have been sent to the scene, officials have said.
When the two men arrived, they put the woman in the back of the ambulance and began treating her. That's when her boyfriend showed up, acting in an aggressive manner. The altercation ended with the boyfriend, 22-year-old Kevin Curl Jr., shooting the two men three times each. One of the paramedics, John Spriggs Sr., 41, was able to return fire, killing Curl, according to reports. Spriggs and the other paramedic, Joshua Godfrey, 35, were taken to the hospital and underwent surgery, and according to their boss, Josh Bishop, CEO of EASI ambulance service, they are in stable condition. He declined to go into details about the men at the request of the men's families.
Asked if EASI allows employees to carry weapons, Bishop said he had been asked that several times since the shooting and that he would rather not discuss his company's policy on the subject considering that "everything is under investigation." He said he does not believe that there is a state law that would keep emergency workers from carrying weapons.
Bishop said one topic that is "definitely on the table" is employees wearing bullet-resistant vests. He said vests are not part of his crews' attire, but they could be in the future.
"It's being discussed at this point," Bishop said.
Bill Sadler, a spokesman with the Arkansas State Police, said the question about weapons is more of one for the state Health Department, which sets standards for ambulance services and companies that operate them. However, a roundup of state laws that Sadler provided on the subject did not reveal any language that specifically addresses ambulance personnel arming themselves.
Jon Swanson, head of MEMS, Little Rock's municipal ambulance service that serves several counties and cities in Central Arkansas, said it is his agency's police not to allow guns on the ambulances. But he said that policy will be reviewed because of what happened in Pine Bluff.
"I'm sure that we will consider this and reevaluate the policy in light of this particular situation," Swanson said.
He said he did not know if there was any overriding state law on the subject because he had never asked the question himself. Despite his agency's policy on the subject, he said that if one paramedic had not had a gun, the assailant might have "finished what he started." Still, he said, such instances are rare and that arming personnel raises ethical and legal questions.
In looking back at what happened, he said, it's easy to say "it's good that they were able to defend themselves," but he that one instance might not be sufficient cause to arm all emergency medical technicians.
"I honestly don't know if that is the best option," he said. "We're not law enforcement officers."
As for bullet-resistant vests, MEMS personnel have been wearing those for several years now, since a volunteer firefighter was killed. In that incident, in 2016, Jason Adams, a 29-year-old volunteer firefighter with the East Pulaski Fire Department and a lieutenant with the Sherwood Fire Department, was answering a call in North Little Rock where a man was having a seizure in his home. As Adams was walking into the room, the man, thinking Adams was an intruder, shot and killed him.
Although shots are rarely fired at emergency workers, the vests have been useful in protecting workers from other aggressive acts by people the workers are trying to provide care for, Swanson said.
"We are assaulted by patients who have been drinking or who are on drugs or are disoriented," he said. "So the risk is there. They could get shot, and they could get hurt."