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Off duty but on the job, Firefighters save lives in wake of mass shooting in Las Vegas

Firefighters and paramedics on vacation in Las Vegas went to work saving lives when a gunman in the Mandalay Bay hotel opened fire on a crowd of 22,000 attending the Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival October 1st.  Valley Regional Fire Authority firefighter Dean McAuley was listening to country star Jason Aldean when the shooting began.  After helping his friends find safe shelter, McAuley headed back into the fray toward the EMS tent, teamed up with a retired Seattle firefighter, and went to work.  He saved a 16-year-old girl, and their story was featured on ABC’s 20/20 news magazine.  In all, 59 people died and more than 500 were wounded.  Said McAuley, “I saw one person at their worst, but I got to witness humanity at its best. . . hundreds of people working together to help each other.”  At the same time, Puget Sound Federal firefighters, husband and wife Nick and Ali Pendergrass helped fellow concert goers to escape, treated victims, and commandeered a car to take gunshot victims to the hospital.  KXLY covered their story here.