Town firefighter risked his life in Vegas massacre
A HERO Nuneaton firefighter risked his own life to help those wounded in the Las Vegas massacre.
Despite people fleeing the scene at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, brave Tony Dumbleton ran towards danger.
The crew commander at Nuneaton Fire Station, who has worked for Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service for 18 years, had only just arrived at the MGM Grand hotel to celebrate his 20th wedding anniversary with his wife Lucy when he found himself at the centre of the chaos caused in the wake of the shooting.
Using his training he helped set up a first aid/ triage area, helping to treat scores of wounded people against the backdrop of what he described as “absolute chaos”.
The Red Watch crew commander told news crews that he was just going out to the lobby, only to be greeted by sights and sounds he had never witnessed before.
“I just saw people running, screaming on their phones, telling people they loved them and people were saying there was an active shooter, that’s as much as we knew at the time,” the dad-ofthree said.
“I saw a chap had been shot in the shoulder, he was bleeding heavily and there were other casualties coming in, at that point, there were so many people, there was quite a lot of them with bits of blood over them.
“There were two very, very young girls, I am not sure if they were paramedics, who had set up a little first aid area but there were so many people, I started to help the gentleman with his wounds and helped set up a triage.”
Describing the scene, the Exhall resident said: “It was absolute chaos, everyone thought there were two active shooters.”
The firefighter, who has also served at Bedworth Fire Station, admitted that he momentarily contemplated going back to his room to safety but his emergency services instinct kicked in and he stayed to help the wounded. “I was just patching people up, people were bleeding so heavily,” said Tony.
He then said that the already frantic situation heightened: “All of a sudden there was a big stampede, people thought the two shooters were coming into lobby. It was just crazy.”
In his day job, Tony has undoubtedly seen some horrific sights, but they have been eclipsed by the scenes in Las Vegas: “I have never seen so many gunshot wounds,” he said.
His bravery across the pond on Sunday has been hailed by Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service’s deputy chief fire officer Rob Moyney, who said he had acted “beyond all expectations”.
“We would like to express our thanks to Tony for his actions in the terrible shooting that happened in Las Vegas last Sunday,” he said.
“Tony is a firefighter and crew commander at Nuneaton Fire Station and although often faced with challenging and complex situations, his bravery and actions in this instance were well beyond all expectations. We look forward to seeing Tony back in Warwickshire safe and well, and we commend Tony for his selfless actions to help others while potentially putting himself in harm’s way.”
A total of 59 people died in the massacre, with 527 injured.