Orlando firefighters recall morning of Pulse shooting

Lieutenant heard gunshots before being dispatched

ORLANDO – Firefighters stationed just two doors down from the Pulse Night Club say it took a while to realize the scope of what was happening that morning, but they rose to the occasion to save lives.

"I've been to hundreds of shootings over my 35 years but never to this extent," said Lt. Davis Odell.
Odell says he and his team from Fire Station Five had just visited Pulse a few hours before the shooting, and he remembers the scene just as he saw it in video shot by survivor Chriss West. 

He says he remembers a club full of people having fun on a Saturday night, and he says he could not have predicted what would happen.

He told News 6 he actually heard what happened before dispatchers alerted him. "When I got out (to the garage), I could hear people screaming, so I started looking out the doors to see what's going on. Then I hear the gunshots. Pow. Pow. Pow.  I realized that this was no normal situation," he said.  "I went to get my radio and began to advise communications that we had a much bigger incident then just a single shooting." Odell said.

Odell says his team had to set up an area to start treating some of the victims from inside the club, but he says they had to be smart about it because Pulse was just two-doors away, and the gunman was still inside the club.

"Einstein's (bagel store) was a designated 'safe zone' between the Pulse and the parking lot where we were triaging patients. That put a building between us and the actual shooter."

Odell says his team's goal the morning of June 12 was the same as it is every day -- to save lives.

He says they started treating victims based on the severity of their injuries, and they were eventually transported to the hospital.

"It took us a while to grasp the enormity of it, but ultimately our training kicked in and we were spot on as far as our response." Odell said. 


About the Author:

Erik Sandoval joined the News 6 team as a reporter in May 2013 and became an Investigator in 2020. During his time at News 6, Erik has covered several major stories, including the 2016 Presidential campaign. He was also one of the first reporters live on the air at the Pulse Nightclub shooting.

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