A cashier named Duncan Elliott was working at the J&H Family Store and gas station just outside of Alto, Michigan.
He got sick on the job and called his boss to get help, and called an ambulance while he waited for work relief to arrive.
Four firefighters came rushing to the scene and looked after Duncan until the ambulance arrived to take him in to the hospital for emergency care.
The team Captain, Deputy Fire Chief, and two firefighters from the Alto-Browne Fire Department answered the call.
No back up staff had arrived at the gas station to take the sick cashier’s place by the time the ambulance arrived.
And because of Duncan’s condition he was too ill to even close the store until his colleague arrived.
So the firefighters stepped in and took heroic action… a little outside the regular scope of their job description.
They took over the cash register and helped customers out until Duncan’s replacement cashier arrived!
One of the firefighters, Captain Chris Wieland, explained that he felt it was the right thing to do, and an easy decision for them to make in that moment. There were customers coming in and out of the shop and no one to help them.
“They weren’t pushy and upset that we weren’t doing anything. But they literally just wanted to get some snacks and get on the road. So I felt bad and thought we could help them out.” – Chris Wieland, Captain
Of course none of the firefighters were familiar with the cashier system so had to use trial and error to figure it out.
“It was a little tricky. I kept pushing a button and it kept saying ‘something error’ and then I’d hit cancel and then I could find the cash register button.” – Chris Wieland, Captain
The firefighters helped customers get what they were looking for, kept everyone calm, and took care of the shop in Duncan’s absence.
And it’s so like a typical firefighter to be so modest about their assistance! They talked to reporters about it like it was nothing. But I’m sure Duncan, his colleague, and the owner of the shop really appreciate the help in holding it all down until help arrived.
And I’m sure the customers appreciated it too! People need their road trip snacks.
“I don’t think there’s any other department that wouldn’t do what we did. Fire fighters, the fire industry, we’re here to help. It doesn’t really matter in what capacity or what role, that’s what we’re here for.” – Andy Vanderziel, Deputy Chief
There’s no such thing as a routine call for firefighters, so for these boys it was just a regular day on the job.
The local news, WoodTV in southwest Michigan covered the story, interviewed the team of firefighters, and followed up with Duncan Elliott to see how he was doing.
He has since recovered from his illness that day.
He didn’t realize the team of firefighters had taken over the till until his coworkers showed him the CCTV footage when he was back to work.
He sent the firefighters a massive thank you… and jokingly critiqued their cash skills saying they were “pretty good”.
We’re just happy to hear he’s okay!
Here’s another heartwarming story of how firefighters made a big difference with a small act of kindness.
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