POST FALLS (Review of The Spokesman) At a press conference on Monday, fire officials stated that the two firemen who were shot and murdered by a shooter on Canfield Mountain were devoted public servants with decades of experience.
Authorities say 20-year-old Wess Roley ambushed Frank Harwood, 42, of Kootenai County Fire & Rescue, and John Morrison, 52, of the Coeur d Alene Fire Department, as they were responding to a wildfire on Sunday afternoon. They were both chiefs of battalions.
According to Coeur d Alene Fire Chief Tom Greif, 47-year-old engineer David Tysdal of the Coeur d Alene Fire Department was also shot and is critically sick at Kootenai Health Monday afternoon.
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According to Greif, yesterday was one of the worst days either of these institutions has ever had.
At a press conference held Monday afternoon at Kootenai County Fire & Rescue headquarters in Post Falls, Greif, Chris Way, the chief of Kootenai County Fire & Rescue, and other fire officials recognized and praised the firefighters.
Way informed reporters Harwood had been with the agency for 17 years. He was a former Army National Guard combat engineer, married, and had two kids.
According to Way, Chief Harwood was a leader in our company. He performed a fantastic job. He was in charge of shifts. His shift had a lot of respect for him. Many people, including every employee on his shift who witnessed the incident yesterday, are grieving this loss.
According to Greif, Morrison began working for Coeur d Alene Fire in 1996. He served as a battalion chief, paramedic, captain, and firefighter engineer.
According to Greif, Tysdal, a 23-year firefighter, had two successful surgeries and was at the hospital with his family.
We appreciate everyone’s love and support, a Tysdal family member stated in a statement he read. Dave’s two procedures have gone well, he can open his eyes, and his family is by his side.
The Coeur d Alene Firefighters International Association of Fire Fighters Local 710’s president, Gabe Eckert, informed media Tysdal and Morrison loved their families and worked hard.
According to him, he last spoke with Morrison during a lull at the fire station two weeks ago. So they sat on the back terrace and spoke while smoking cigars.
“We discussed how to be better fathers, better leaders, and better firefighters,” Eckert said. I simply wanted to express how grateful I am that that will be my final memory of him. If you guys decide to learn anything from this, I want you to know that these men were committed to our community.
We’re still in disbelief and find it hard to comprehend why someone would target defenseless public officials without weapons.
According to Kootenai County’s IAFF Local 2856 president, Justin Zabel, the tragedy does not characterize our community.
Speaking tearfully on Monday, Zabel added, “What’s often overlooked in times like these is the overwhelming love and support we receive from the people we serve.”
According to him, the two firefighters who lost their lives gave their everything.
Because it’s who we are and how we remember our brothers who sacrificed their lives for the work they loved in service of others, the men and women of Local 710 and Local 2856 will continue to answer that call, Zabel said.
Coeur d’Alene The families of those slain in the line of duty received condolences from Mayor Woody McEvers on behalf of the city’s citizens.
He described what they are going through as heartbreaking and really difficult. I want them to know they are on our mind.
In response to an occurrence that was so unprecedented in our town, McEvers commended law enforcement, fire departments, and other first responders at all levels, from the municipal to the federal level, for their brave efforts.
He remarked, “We are still in shock and find it hard to comprehend why someone would target unarmed, selfless public servants.”
According to Greif, the fire departments are concentrating on supplying mental health resources to firefighters and their families as well as support to the families of the three firemen.
According to Way, fire authorities expressed gratitude to the police enforcement and fire departments who responded to the unthinkable and incomprehensible catastrophe. They also expressed gratitude for the community’s overwhelming support. According to Eckert, throughout the fire department’s time of grief, the community has offered food, cards, and assistance.
“We have a long road ahead of us, and all the agencies involved will need every bit of that going forward,” Greif said, describing the incredible community support.
Roley is suspected by law enforcement of starting the 26-acre fire in order to trick firefighters into an ambush. Roley was discovered by Kootenai County Fire and Rescue and Coeur d Alene Fire Department personnel who responded to the fire call at 1:21 p.m. Roley was instructed to move his truck by the firefighters.
Firefighters reported being shot about 2:00 p.m.
Our firemen had some pre-incident interaction with the suspect when they arrived, but it was brief, and there was undoubtedly no criminal or suspicious conduct as a result, according to Way.
At a separate news conference on Monday, Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris informed reporters that while there was evidence that Roley had once desired to become a fireman, there was no proof that this had anything to do with the attack.
According to Way, Roley has never previously been contacted by Kootenai County Fire & Rescue. He said that he never tested for or applied for a job at the fire department.
Greif stated that authorities are investigating any communication between the suspect and Coeur d Alene Fire, but they were unable to confirm any of it on Monday.
Although uncommon, the attack on firefighters was not unheard of.
According to Way, officials will thoroughly examine the incident in order to assess the agency’s policies and practices. According to him, the inquiry is still ongoing, and fresh information is being discovered every hour.
Unfortunately, until it wasn’t, this was just another standard call, Way said.
According to him, the fire department prepares for active shooters.
However, according to Way, this was not an active shooter call. The first response was to a brush fire on the mountainside that was a wildland-urban interface. Once more, smoke was seen, so we entered the area as usual and attacked the fire; sadly, we were attacked. They never had a chance because of the way they were ambushed and attacked, as the sheriff put it so eloquently last night.
