Excerpts from the ChicagoTribune.com:

An Aurora City Council committee Tuesday recommended moving ahead with buying bulletproof vests for firefighters who are part of special tactical units, less than two weeks after they were involved at the scene of a mass shooting.

The move comes less than two weeks after firefighters moved into the Henry Pratt Co. building with police to confront an active shooter who had killed five Pratt workers and was shooting at the first responders police officers and firefighters. As it happens, plans were already underway for purchase of the vests, but those plans did not materialize in time for the Feb. 15 incident.

The firefighters involved were part of a police and fire tactical unit during the incident. It was the first time the city had used the combined units. The idea is that paramedics are on the scene to quickly help with injuries during an incident, such as the mass shooting at Pratt.

Aldermen voted to recommend spending $86,349 to buy 60 bulletproof vests, as well as helmets, accessories, goggles and medical supplies.  At one time earlier in 2018, fire officials applied for a grant for the purchase.

Originally, officials planned to spend $70,000 on the purchase, but had upped that in the budget to $110,000, so the final price was about $30,000 under the budgeted amount.

The City Council Committee of the Whole will consider the purchase next week, and move it to the full council to discuss on March 12.

Tags: Aurora Fire Department, Aurora firefighters to receive tactical vests and gear, city to outfit tactical firefighters with tactical gear