Bend firefighter has close ties to Roseburg

Bend firefighter paramedic Derek Findlay wears his uniform proudly, but it’s the one he hung up recently that puts him closer than most to tragedy.

“One of the guys that I worked with at district two — his son was killed,” Findlay said Thursday.

He also knows one of the other victims who died in the mass shooting a week ago, and another person who was wounded.

Findlay joined the Bend Fire Department in February, but he’s spent most of his life in Roseburg.

He’s a graduate of UCC, and also worked for years among those first responders who rushed to the classroom where the gunman took 10 lives, including his own.

More terrifying for Findlay: His younger brother was on the campus when shots rang out.

“He wasn’t answering his phone, so (our family) thought he might be involved in the shooting,” Findlay said.

For a few scary minutes, Findlay didn’t know if his brother was dead or alive. Then he got the call.

“I was able to contact my brother and found out the reason he wasn’t answering his phone is because he was helping out,” Findlay said.

Following in his big brother’s footsteps, the younger one was in class, learning to become a paramedic — just a building over from where the shooting took place.

Findlay’s younger brother joined first responders to help save lives.

“Those guys and girls, they’re definitely traumatized, to say the least,” Findlay said. “Potentially that could be a career-ending call for some people.”

And although he can’t be there, Findlay has a message for the heroes in Roseburg: “I wish the best of luck to them and hope they can get on their feet as soon as they can.”