| Editor’s note: As Chief David Jones was driving past a Wendy’s outlet in March, he was unaware of the tragedy that was unfolding inside. A member of his department, Lt. Rafael Vazquez, had been shot dead. In this exclusive article for FireRescue1, Chief Jones recalls that day and how his department has tried to recover. |
Firefighter killed in Fla. Wendy’s shooting went back for toy
FireRescue1’s Year in Review 2008
By District Chief David Johns
Palm Beach County Fire Rescue
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I was driving to one of our stations when I saw a lady — who I later found out was the spouse of Firefighter Vazquez — crying by the side of the road. There was a guy next to her and I thought that maybe it was a domestic issue or something.
I pulled over and the man told me that someone was shooting in there. Then, I saw one of my off-duty captains running across the street toward me and he got in my truck.
He told me he’d been in Wendy’s and that there was an active shooter. He said he’d managed to escape when the man reloaded.
Normally when responding to a call, you have a minute or two to think about it. But this was something completely different. I established command and called in a MCI.
After the scene was secure, we started to initiate triage. It was only when we went in that we discovered one of our firefighters had been killed.
It was a difficult incident, especially for the guys that had worked closely with him. I’d actually been preparing for more victims as in the early stages I knew at least four people had been shot. We’d been preparing to treat a lot more people.
When things like this happen, it does have a ripple effect on a department. It’s a loss that the department has had to cope with, the loss of a member of the family, and the department has done a great job in helping members.