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Miami firefighter robbed at gunpoint

While performing routine fire hydrant check, 13-year veteran was approached by suspect with semi-automatic weapon

Editor’s note: Stories such as this demonstrate that we always need to consider our personal situational awareness 24/7/365, and not just during emergency incidents, says Chief Adam K. Thiel. Check out his thoughts here.

A Miami firefighter was robbed at gunpoint on Sunday while performing a routine fire hydrant check.

As the firefighter was walking back to his station, the suspect approached him from behind with a semi-automatic weapon and demanded the chain around his neck, according to NBC Miami.

When the firefighter removed it, he threw it on the ground and started running away.

The suspect allegedly told him to stop and fired three shots, none of which hit the firefighter, according to police. Then the suspect ran away.

“We checked [the firefighter],” said Miami Fire Rescue spokesman Ignatius Carroll. “He’s shaken up but he’s able to give the best description he can.”

Although the name of the firefighter was not released, he has been a Miami firefighter for 13 years, Carroll said.

“You can imagine how relieved we were to find out he wasn’t injured,” he told The Miami Herald. “But the fact is, he could have lost his life, all over a piece of jewelry.”

Frazier Smith, who heard the three gunshots, told WTSP, “It’s crazy. I’ve never seen anything like it. A firefighter? These people are out there to help people, they’re out there trying to save lives.”