CHARLOTTE — Community support continued for first responders on Sunday after a deadly fire at a SouthPark construction site that claimed the lives of two people.
On Friday, Channel 9′s Hannah Goetz was at Potbelly Sandwich Friday where the restaurant offered free lunches for those first responders.
The restaurant, located in Piedmont Row, is within walking distance of where the fire happened and will offer free food to emergency crews on Saturday, as well.
“Just to show appreciation and the men and women. They work so hard to keep us safe and protect it, so we just want to give back,” said general manager Benjamin Byers.
Potbelly wasn’t the only place supporting first responders. Protagonist Beer is changing its flagship beer, called “Queen Charlotte,” to “The 43″ for the weekend. The number 43 symbolizes the 43 fire stations in Charlotte. For every 43 beers they sell, they will donate $1 to the Charlotte Fire Department.
Protagonist co-owner Michael Salzarulo told Goetz it’s just a small gesture to honor the unity, resilience, and support that the Charlotte community represents.
“I mean they are just true heroes,” he said. “I know anytime you go into something like that, it’s not like there is no fear. There is fear when you go into that -- that’s what bravery is. We just want to support them as much as we could.”
First responders can get a free slice of pizza and a beer this weekend at Protagonist.
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On Sunday, the community continued to thank firefighters for their heroic effort by giving the chief a special honor.
Charlotte Fire Chief Reginald Johnson got to throw out the first pitch at the Knights game while members of the fire department looked on.
“I had a lot of pressure not just from that were here but the people who were directly behind me were waiting to see what type of delivery I had,” Johnson told Channel 9.
Johnson said this week has been tough, not only because they battled one of the biggest fires in Charlotte’s history but also because they are mourning two of their own.
“Mark from MEDIC, as well as one of our active firefighters Brian Barfield was laid to rest on Friday. So I want to acknowledge this week has been a very trying week,” Johnson said.
Johnson said the department is concerned about the mental well-being of its members.
“We’ll have some peer support members reach out to them and just make contact. Make sure everyone is doing ok,” Johnson said.
Paramedics were critical in helping dozens of firefighters during the battle. MEDIC’s team was at the scene to support fire crews.
Matt Lewis, assistant operations manager with MEDIC, said they had two mass casualty buses and five ambulances ready to help people.
Those assets were also in place as a respite for firefighters in case they overheated.
“And with that, we do have our mass casualty buses on scene so if they need to go into a cooler environment, they can and they can rehab there and our medics can start IVs if they’re dehydrated,” Lewis said.
Lewis said that while moments, such as Thursday’s fire are rare, it is what they train for.
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