The Safariland SAVES program isn’t just a list of names—it’s a testament to lives protected and second chances granted. Each member has a story, a moment when the right gear made all the difference. This series shares those stories.
The Safariland SAVES Club® highlights individuals who put their lives on the line and, in turn, had their lives saved by their gear. Today’s account is unique—it’s the story of how two lives were saved thanks to Paramedic Danielle Kamenar’s Safariland body armor.
BACKGROUND
Danielle “Dani” Kamenar began her first responder career in 2006 at her local fire department in New Mexico. Two years later, she moved to Maryland to serve as a firefighter and EMT. In 2011, she relocated to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where she married her husband. Continuing her education and training, Dani became a paramedic in 2016.
At the time of the incident, she was 32 weeks pregnant. Her agency had recently implemented body armor for EMS crews.
THE CALL
Around 11:30 p.m. on April 9, 2017, Dani’s ambulance crew responded to a call for difficulty breathing. The patient and address were familiar to EMS from prior calls, and there was no history of violence. As the lead paramedic, Dani—despite being 32 weeks pregnant—took point and rode in the back of the ambulance with the patient during transport.
When they arrived at the hospital, Dani prepared to transfer care to the waiting staff. The cramped space in the ambulance had her positioned between the stretcher and a wall of cabinets. As paperwork was presented, the patient became agitated and refused to sign. Dani calmly reminded them of the process, but without warning, the patient swung and struck her at the bottom edge of her vest with a closed fist.
At first, Dani thought the patient had simply swiped for the pen. The space was too tight for her to step back, but the vest absorbed most of the impact, and she brushed it off, saying, “The vest absorbed the hit, and I didn’t feel much.” Security was called, and the patient was moved into the ER.
After patient transfer, Dani noticed that she was cramping and perhaps the start of contractions. Understandably upset, Dani tried to downplay the situation, not wanting to make it more than it might be. Her cramping wasn’t stopping, though, so she looked for a quiet place where she could take some time and check in with herself. One of her coworkers found her to talk about the incident. He reiterated to her that she should be checked out, especially given her current symptoms.
From the ER to Labor & Delivery
Heeding the advice of her crew and concerned about her continuing symptoms, Dani reported to ER triage, where staff noted elevated blood pressure and abdominal trauma. Labor and Delivery took over her care, recommending at least eight hours of observation.
Hooked up to monitors with her vest lying beside her bed, doctor after doctor came in to see her and listen to her story, making her feel like an oddity. She hadn’t called her husband yet, since it was the middle of the night, and he was home with their young son. Continuing to work during pregnancy had already been a point of concern in their household.
Despite fluids and monitoring, her contractions remained regular and strong. One nurse remarked they were “great contractions” if she were actually in labor. As a female first responder, Dani was extremely concerned about how she would be viewed, even as staff noted the persistent medical issues.
After additional monitoring and bloodwork, Dani called her husband. Saying, “I’m fine and the baby is fine,” she relayed the events of the night and signed off with, “I should be let out around the time” her shift ended. But that didn’t happen, and her husband joined her at the hospital. With a nursing staff shift change, the nurses decided to keep Dani longer for even more bloodwork and monitoring.
The staff wanted to perform another, more in-depth ultrasound to get a better look at the baby, and with the updated bloodwork, the doctors had some bad news. Noting “the results went the wrong way,” Dani was informed that she had a partial placental abruption (a tear in the placenta that can be fatal for both mother and baby if untreated).
Shock didn’t begin to cover what Dani was feeling. Anger, shock, and worry ratcheted up. Thinking that delivery would be imminent, Dani was admitted to the hospital while staff administered medications to help develop the baby’s lungs while trying to stop the contractions. After four days without going into labor, she was released from the hospital on bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy.
RECOVERY & Birth
For the next week, Dani would have daily appointments with a myriad of doctors to ensure the safety of not only her but also the baby. In addition to the many appointments, Dani would have to continue to take medication every four hours to slow her ever-present contractions. Right by her side was her husband, attending every appointment but one.
The one appointment he couldn’t be at was the 36-week stress test ultrasound. Initially told she passed, Dani was later called back when they found the tear in her placenta had gotten bigger. As she arrived for observation, she could tell something was different.
The doctor arrived, and Dani could tell they were conflicted as to what they wanted to do. As if they were talking to themselves, they started to weigh out all the pros and cons of different approaches, ultimately discussing the options with Dani. Together, they decided to induce Dani’s labor. The problem was that her husband was in Maryland, currently working his 24-hour shift, and she couldn’t get hold of him.
Dani was able to call his department, but he was on a call at the time, so she left a message for when he returned. With a slow and very controlled induction, her husband was able to make it in time for the delivery. Little Brooklyn was born the next day, weighing 5 pounds, 15 ounces. Given her premature birth, she faced a few medical issues, but she was able to rebound quickly and went home and thrived.
Returning to Work
In the aftermath of the call, Dani wanted to return to EMS, “hopping back on the horse,” as she put it. But unfortunately, it wouldn’t go as smoothly as she had hoped. But bed rest before birth meant she had only eight weeks of maternity leave left. Additionally, she would have to be cleared physically and mentally before she could return, both of which she did.
Childcare was a struggle, given Brooklyn’s premature status, so Dani had to drop from full-time to per diem. She also struggled mentally with going back to work, saying her head wasn’t in the game. The ambulance calls weren’t the problem. Her husband’s words replaying in her mind: they had nearly lost half their family that night.
Dani also noticed an environmental shift at work after she returned. While initially supportive, Dani’s employer would eventually break ties with her SAVES event and didn’t want the company name associated with any of it going forward. Feeling abandoned, Dani reduced her schedule to just a few shifts a month to focus on her family.
The Meaning of the SAVES Club®
Throughout her interview, Dani would stress how much the vest and the SAVES Club® meant to her and her family. She described it as a “breath of fresh air,” validation that her experience mattered and that she had done the right thing.
Every year, Dani and Brooklyn visit Atlantic Tactical, where she was fitted for the vest. Whether or not the original fitter, Jeff Bridi, is there, they make the trip to show appreciation for the work that helped save them both.
Brooklyn is now a thriving eight-year-old with a love for parkour and cheerleading, a fearless attitude, and a bright future—thanks in no small part to her mother’s Safariland body armor.
