By FireRescue1 Staff
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A group of firefighters who happened to be training nearby were able to respond quickly to a fatal shooting that left three dead.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported that Jacksonville Fire Station 1 firefighters were using their downtime Sunday to conduct an elevator training session in a parking garage close to the Jacksonville Landing when they noticed people running from the area.
“This was an odd sight to all of us and quite perplexing,” the station said in a Facebook post about the incident.
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2180417562204221&id=1521735531405764
Firefighters said a man walked over to them and said he had been shot.
“At that point, training, experience and instinct take over,” the Facebook post said. “A few of us tended to the injured guy who approached us, and the rest of us formed a team and moved cautiously across the street to the restaurant this guy came from. Our active shooting training told us the scene needed to be cleared by JSO (Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office) before we were to enter, fortunately, JSO was quick to act on this day.”
The post added that some of the firefighters entered the active scene to begin checking on victims.
“This was a scene that none of us will soon forget, and probably just too graphic to put the details out on social media,” the post said.
While visiting Jacksonville in the wake of the shooting, Gov. Rick Scott met with the firefighters.
https://twitter.com/FLGovScott/status/1033884751843782656
“These brave men and women … work every day to help others,” Scott said in a tweet. “We cannot thank them enough.”
The firefighters added in the Facebook post that they are proud of how the department handled the tragic incident.
“We are a station full of tradition, we laugh together, we play together, and today we went as deep into the trenches together as we probably can. We go together and we leave together. One team, one family,” the post said.