Q Step 1: Read the article. Download article.(Click on the blue word "article" to access the article.) Step 2: In your post, address the following questions: - What is the purpose of the article? - The author of the article provides the counterargument. What is it? - What is your opinion and reaction regarding the topic? Body Armor Studied for Use by Florida EMSNews Aug 13, 2006 Aug. 13 -- When some Miramar paramedics rush to help victims of shootings, stabbings and domestic violence, they usually wear bullet-proof vests -- until recently the most common protection for law enforcement officers. "Anything can happen when you're out on a call," said Lt. Craig McElhaney, who has worked in fire- rescue for 12 years and has worn a vest for nearly two years. "I've been to calls for a drug overdose and discovered the kid had a gun under his pillow." Almost two years ago, Miramar's EMS unit was the recipient of a $21,875 grant from the Florida Bureau of EMS and the city of Miramar to study the effectiveness of body armor vests for paramedics. Now, as required by the grant, fire-rescue officials are compiling a final report they expect to finish in the next three months. The officials will interview all 95 paramedics in Miramar to see if the vests are worth wearing regularly -- and worth buying at about $600 each. "We are looking for ways to keep our crews safe in the streets," Miramar Emergency Medical Services Chief Bill Huff said. The vests protect against all bullets except those from .22-caliber guns. They don't offer much protection from knives. But they do protect the body from kicks and blunt objects, Huff said. Fifty percent of paramedics in his department said they had been assaulted or threatened while on duty, Huff said. Miramar paramedics, who answer about 7,000 calls a year, were the only ones in South Florida to get the grant for the vests. Huff, who had attended a conference for EMS officials in Maryland, heard a Los Angeles fire-rescue official talk about the importance of bullet-proof vests.