Saving lives is generally accepted as an heroic deed except by the most cynical of people. When a firefighter goes into a burning building and saves a kid, it's heroic, even though it's part of the job. And the military and police etc. Some jobs are dangerous and performing them to the fullest can indeed be heroic.
Another hero is the pastor or whoever decided to have armed security. In this day and age, that can be a controversial decision and subject them to public ridicule in the media.
Coast Guard Search and Rescue has a saying:
"You have to go out,
You don't have to come back"