TOPEKA, Kan. — As of July 1, it is legal in Kansas for medical first responders and firefighters to carry concealed weapons while on duty.

Bill 2502 allows employees who work for a municipality or state to carry firearms on their person, except inside of school zones or private buildings that are specifically marked as “gun free.”

Representatives for the Mission Township Fire Department -- which serves the area around Topeka — have expressed their support for the bill, reports KSNT.

“Mission Township and myself as a Fire Chief are supportive of the constitutional rights that are available and have been given to us,” says Fire Chief Forrest Walter. “Our department does not disallow firefighters to have concealed carry.”

Chief Walter says that sometimes fire isn’t the only danger present on scene.

“We’ve rolled people over in an unconscious state and they have a weapon underneath them.”

Even though Bill 2502 provides gun owners with these additional privileges, applications for concealed carry permits in Kansas have dropped more than 40 percent in the last year.