Attack on firemen a hot topic for locals

Talk around the table in local firehouses has changed in light of the Webster, N.Y., incident in which firefighters were shot while responding to a fire.”It really hasn’t been a topic of conversation up until now,” said Lynn District Chief James McDonald. “The last time we had an incident where a firefighter was assaulted was back in the ’70s.”Two firefighters were killed and two injured in the early hours of Dec. 24, when alleged gunman William Spengler set his house on fire than ambushed first responders with a semi-automatic rifle.”It’s your worst nightmare,” said Saugus Fire Chief Donald McQuaid.”You can’t train for something like this,” said Revere Fire Chief Eugene Doherty.McDonald said that in the 1970s it was not unusual for firefighters to be pelted with objects, including cans and fireworks.”But definitely not gunfire; that’s the last thing you think of when rolling up to a fire,” he said.Medical calls, however, do bring a measure of uncertainty, and firefighters respond to thousands of those.”There’s no question, we’re not at the percentage the police are in, but firefighters can or could be walking into any kind of situation on a medical call,” Doherty said.If a person is psychologically impaired or if a family member has been injured or someone has been drinking, things can turn ugly fast.Doherty also said people in domestic situations or that have committed “self-inflicted bodily harm” can sometimes take their issues out on the firefighters tending to them.”We actually talk about this all the time,” McQuaid said. “If we think there might be an issue a police officer will come with us on the call.”Doherty said that for firefighters and officers responding to call, the more information a dispatcher can elicit from a caller, the better.”Medicals are different; you’re going into a strange environment,” he said.But firefighters expect to fight flames when they respond to fires.”Never in a million years do you think you’re going to be shot at,” Doherty said.”If you’re rolling up onto a building fire your focus is on what’s in front of you and you’re not paying too much attention on the sidelines,” McDonald said. “But now your head’s on a swivel.”McQuaid said his men know they have to be aware of their surroundings, but he also said firefighters tend to worry about flames not gunfire when they pull up to burning building.”It’s in the back of their minds now,” McDonald said.McDonald and Doherty also pointed out that Spengler as well as Adam Lanza, the 20-year old who killed 20 children and six adults during a rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown Conn., both allegedly suffered from mental illness. And that is something no one can plan for, Doherty said.McDonald said that while firefighters are talking about the issue, management has made no move to address it formally or institute any changes and Doherty said he doesn’t see it happening.”You can’t go in thinking you’re going to be shot at,” Doherty said.If firefighters spend too much time checking their surroundings before reacting to a fire it could cost lives, he said.McDonald said he likes to think “our corner of the world is a little more stable,” but he knows that is not likely true.”It’s a wake-up call,” McQuaid said. “It’s a wake-up call for all of us.”Chris Stevens can be reached at [email protected].