The day before the one-year anniversary of the shootings, I learned of Ben Dyer and his story of survival and resilience. As President of the Lewiston Firefighters, the year following the shooting was occupied with ensuring all of our members who were present that evening were able to access whatever services they needed. As we approached the one-year anniversary, it was time for the department and those who responded to reclaim some sense of normalcy, as much as could be expected in light of the tragedy that unfolded for these 17 firefighters.
Perhaps the most under-told portion of that night was that the majority of public safety personnel on scene in the first few minutes were actually firefighters. These firefighters entered both locations without any protection, other than one who grabbed a bowling pin. At the time of their entry, there was no confirmation of where or how many shooters there were, and they did not know that in less than five minutes there was going to be a second shooting; their only goal was to help the survivors.
The tragedy that unfolded for them will be lasting, and this is not the point of this commentary.
I contacted Ben Dyer. I had never met him, and I told him of our plans to have support specialists meet with these crew members one final time on the one-year anniversary and asked if he would like to attend. Ben had numerous commitments, including some national news interviews and survivor group gatherings, but he never once hesitated to attend. The following hours with Ben likely were the best medicine these firefighters could have ever received. His message was clear: he was not going to be a victim of Robert Card, and he urged these firefighters to do the same. Ben Dyer is easily the most inspirational and effective person this crew has met since that day. His message was lasting and effective, and we could not have been more grateful.
A few days ago, I saw Ben speak on video at the council meeting the night prior (Tuesday) regarding the missing or misappropriated shooting victims’ funds. I texted Ben the following morning supporting his comments to the council.
None of us can ever understand what this man has gone through since that night. I pray none of you reading this ever do, but the reality is Ben is not the only person who was present that evening. There are countless families that will never be the same. It was an unspeakable tragedy that our entire community suffered. Ben is both a survivor and an inspiration to most of us. Ben replied to my text with a few words of thanks. Wednesday night, Ben again texted me and apologized for not asking how our members were doing. This alone shows who this man truly is—he was still concerned for others whom he had only met once in the basement of Central Fire Station.
This morning, I was disappointed that Ben’s story and his public commentary were being viewed as out of order by the Council President. To his credit, Mayor Sheline allowed his comment time to exceed the short three minutes of one-way dialogue, and he attempted to quiet a city councilor who Mr. Dyer felt was apparently not interested in what he had to say.
I contacted the Association’s Executive Board this morning regarding the Maine Wire story and asked their thoughts. Two of our board members were at the shooting locations. One of them told me the morning after the shooting about using the bowling pin as his only tool for self-defense. They both remembered what Ben did for us on that one-year anniversary, and I received a unanimous directive from these eight board members to respond to this story and stand behind Ben.
We issue this statement absent a risk-versus-reward mindset. We have full knowledge that we are entering into budget season, and the risk of offending one or a group of city councilors has its consequences. That said, we will always stand for what is right, and certainly we owe our support to Ben and all the families whose lives changed forever on that fateful night. Time will tell if our voice on this matter will have any positive or negative impact, but we are on the right side of this matter, and we stand alongside Ben Dyer.
I close with a quote from Martin Luther King: “True character is revealed through resilience, integrity, and actions during difficult times rather than in times of ease.” Ben is certainly resilient, and he will continue not to be a victim of October 25th.
Lewiston Firefighters Association
Rick Cailler, President IAFF #785
