ALLEN, Texas — Details continue to emerge about how emergency crews reached victims during Saturday’s shooting at the Allen outlet mall.
Using police and fire radio recordings, and 911 calls obtained from the city, WFAA learned that Allen paramedics teamed up with armed police officers to get to shooting victims even as officers checked out reports that there might be a second gunman.
Since 2018, Allen ambulances and fire trucks have carried ballistic helmets and vests – a practice that’s increasingly common as paramedics find themselves having to save lives in harm’s way.
“Our goal is to get in there, get any victims out, especially any viable, saveable victims, and get them to definitive care as fast as possible,” Jim McDade, president of the Dallas Fire Fighters Association, said. “But at the same time, we have to do everything that we can to make sure that we don't become a victim.”
When medics team with police on a scene, it’s called a Rescue Task Force. Radio traffic WFAA reviewed revealed that several were formed on May 6 at a staging area at Allen Premium Outlets. They then went into the shooting scene to find victims and render aid.
“The paramedics are protected by the police and they stay together,” McDade said.
“If y’all are armed up with police, go head and proceed that way,” a first responder said on the fire department audio.
While we don’t know yet when paramedics reached the first victim at the mall – investigators have not released that information – we did learned today how quickly the first patients arrived at Medical City McKinney.
“Medical City McKinney is less than three miles away and received the first patient within 14 minutes of the initial reports,” said hospital spokesperson Janet St. James.
Read related: An Allen survivor felt the shooting before he saw it. Now, he's 'just grateful to be here'
Allen Fire Chief Jonathan Boyd declined an interview request, citing the ongoing Texas Rangers investigation into the mall shooting.
But he did praise his staff’s response on May 6.
“I am extremely proud of the response by our team,” Chief Boyd said. “It was the result of years of training and preparation for a day that we hoped would never come.”