California Firefighter Gives His Shoes to Barefoot Homeless Man
The firefighters were returning to the station after a physical fitness test.
— -- A California firefighter and his captain are being praised for pulling their fire truck over to give a pair of shoes to a homeless man walking barefoot on a highway.
The firefighters, from Riverside, Calif., were driving back to the fire station last week from a physical fitness test when they saw an elderly homeless man walking on the side of the freeway, Bruce Vanderhorst, the battalion’s Chief Public Information Officer, told ABC News.
The firefighters turned their fire truck around to help the man and then noticed he was barefoot.
One of the firefighters aboard the engine, David Gilstrap, donated his own pair of sneakers to the homeless man, while the engine’s captain, Rob Gabler, walked over and helped the homeless man put on his shoes.
The moment was captured on camera and shared on the fire department’s Facebook page last Thursday.
Vanderhorst told ABC News the firefighters also offered the homeless man water and access to the city’s homeless services.
“Services are always offered and we tell them, ‘We can get help to you,’” he said. “We’re very proud of the work we do building our community relations and we’re here to help in any way we can whenever those opportunities present themselves.”