Firefighters and EMS crews in four Connecticut communities showed off new body armor Friday morning as they bolster their ability to respond to mass casualty incidents.

The first responders in Stamford, Norwalk, Darien and Fairfield are splitting up 144 bulletproof vests and helmets. They are also getting color-coded triage kits to prioritize injured patients in the event of a largescale incident.

They say the extra protection will help as they increasingly respond to gun violence.

"We have to prepare for those incidents," said Stamford Mayor David Martin. "So that we don't have something like what happened in Orlando or what happened in Las Vegas happen here."

When hundreds of shots rang out in Las Vegas last month, bulletproof vests allowed medics to treat victims during the rain of gunfire. At the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, emergency responders did not have such equipment and victims had to wait for help.

The new gear will also help in more common situations, officials say. For example, in domestic violence incidents there are often weapons involved.