Austin firefighter helps barefoot homeless person, gives him his socks
Photo of Firefighter Ben Rodriguez courtesy Austin Fire Department/Chirs Wilkinson.
AUSTIN, Texas - The Austin Fire Department is recognizing one of its firefighters, Ben Rodriguez, for his example of "incredible compassion" as he helped a barefoot person experiencing homelessness.
AFD says Rodriguez helped the man on May 3 at around 5:30 p.m. The man had been seen around the area for a few days and when the man walked up to the station barefoot, Rodriguez spoke to him.
Rodriguez learned that the man's feet were hurting and that his shoes did not feel right. So Rodriguez cleaned the man's feet, dressed his wounds, and gave him a pair of his own socks to cushion the man's feet when wearing shoes.
Captain Randy Elmore said in a Facebook post, "In my 22 years of service, I have never seen this type of passion."
AFD called Rodriguez's actions an example of "incredible compassion that we should all strive to emulate."
Rodriguez is with AFD's Quint 44/A shift and has been a member of the department for about two and a half years.