Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue captain deployed to Israel shares firsthand account amid war – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports | Fort Lauderdale
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FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) – A South Florida firefighter on a mission in Israel shared his firsthand account after he answered the call for help amid the ongoing conflict.
Just outside of Tel Aviv, firefighters heard sirens in the distance and missiles passing above them.
Among them was Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Capt. Jason Friedman. He spoke with 7News via Zoom on Wednesday.
“It was a little nerve-racking, to say the least,” he said.
Heart-stopping video showed what the the first responder experienced while he was looking for shelter shortly after he arrived in Israel.
Friedman is there with Emergency Volunteers Project, or EVP, and on day 6 of his deployment, he was stationed in Jerusalem, where he described it as eerily quiet.
“I’m at a station that normally runs numbers between 10 and 15 calls a day. We’ve been running maybe, like, three to four calls a day,” he said.
Friedman is helping respond to fire calls.
“Here in Jerusalem, we’ve only had, I think, one or two missile launches,” he said.
He’s doing his job, just like he would have been in Fort Lauderdale, but in his current station, Friedman said he knows he’s in the middle of a war.
“I can honestly say that I’ve heard a lot more and a lot worse, and it breaks your heart, the lives that have been lost,” he said, “but these people are very resilient; they have a very strong will of survival.”
Friedman said he doesn’t regret volunteering his time for this two-week deployment.
“It didn’t take more than two seconds for me to realize that that this is where I need to be,” he said.
And he’s surrounded by men and women who wanted to help, just like he did.
During his Zoom interview, Friedman introduced 7News to some of his colleagues.
“Guys, I want you to say hi. You’re on the news. You guys are all superstars,” he said.
Via Zoom, Friedman’s firefighting family in Fort Lauderdale continued to show him their support.
“I had a long conversation trying to talk him out of it, but seeing him smile, seeing what he’s doing, it brings it all home,” said FLFR Chief Stephen Gollan. “I now understand.”
Friedman is expected to return to South Florida early next week.
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