St. Pete Firefighter's Instincts Take Over at Boston Marathon Bombing

Like all first responders, Jim Cunningham, a 28-year-veteran of St. Petersburg Fire & Rescue, is used to running toward danger instead of away from it. 

Monday afternoon, Cunningham never thought he would have to run into danger while waiting for his wife, Mary, to finish the Boston Marathon.

"I was there for a weekend of relaxation and to watch her run," he said at a Tuesday press conference in St. Petersburg.

Following his wife's progress along the course on his phone, Cunningham knew she was nearing the end of the race. So, he and his 13-year-old daughter began heading toward the finish line to congratulate her on completing her first Boston Marathon.

As they turned toward the finish line, that's when the first blast occurred. Then quickly came the second blast only 10-15 yards from him.

Cunningham's instincts took over.

He placed his daughter behind a granite pillar at the Lenox Hotel and told her to wait there.

As he headed toward the blast with the plume of smoke clearing, he began to survey the damage. People were running in every direction. There were screams, missing limbs and blood everywhere, he said. 

"So much going on. So much chaos and so many people down," Cunningham said. 

Cunningham said he quickly set up a rapid triage and began to tell bystanders what to do to help the victims, such as pointing out pressure points on bodies to help stop or slow down bleeding, before paramedics arrived.

"I was telling people where to press and what to do because it was pretty graphic as far as the injuries go," he said. 

As soon as the first responders arrived he signaled out the serious injuries and helped load people into ambulances before stepping back and letting Boston police and firefighters take over. 

Without hesitation, Cunningham thrust himself into danger to help people in need; once help had arrived, he had another pressing need — to find his wife. 

Cell phones were not working, and roads were quickly being shut down, with chaos still reigning throughout downtown Boston. 

"I couldn’t get a hold of my wife, she couldn’t get a hold of me," he said.

After several minutes a call finally went through. He was able to reach her, and she was OK.

"It was terrible," he said. "(The runners) had no idea what had happened."

After more than an hour after the blast, Cunningham was reunited with Mary. 

Monday night consisted of consoling her and daughter, letting family members and friends know he was OK and trying to get some sleep. There was no time for Monday's horrific and senseless violence to sink in. 

Shortly after arriving back in Florida as he was driving home from the airport Tuesday, Cunningham had to pull the car over, he said. He began to break down. It finally hit home. 

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