Police said that two senior firefighters were killed in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, on Sunday afternoon in what they call a staged sniper ambush. Frank Harwood, 42, was the head of the Kootenai County Fire and Rescue. John Morrison, 52, was the head of the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department. Both firefighters were shot and killed while responding to a report of a grass fire. People think that Wess Roley set the fire on purpose to lure first responders into a deadly trap before killing himself.
For 17 years, Frank Harwood was a firefighter and rescuer in Kootenai County. Before that, he was a combat engineer in the Army National Guard. Chris Way, the fire chief, noted that Harwood was a good leader and a devoted family man. He was a husband and father of two kids. Way stated during a press conference on Monday, “A tragedy that can’t be imagined or thought of happened.” “A lot of people are feeling this loss.” Harwood was an important member of the department and a mentor to many because of his expertise, discipline, and dedication to duty.
John Morrison spent 28 years with the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department, starting as a firefighter and working his way up to engineer, captain, and finally battalion chief. Morrison was in charge of operations, but he was also a paramedic for a long period. He was known for maintaining calm under pressure and caring about his work. The fire chief in Coeur d’Alene, Thomas Greif, said that Sunday was one of the department’s darkest days ever. He remarked, “Yesterday was one of the worst, most horrible days that either of our groups has ever had to deal with.”
Dave Tysdal, an engineer who has worked with the Coeur d’Alene department for 23 years, was also shot. Since then, he has undergone two surgeries and is now in the hospital getting better. The department released a statement in which Tysdal’s wife thanked the people for their support. She said that he is with family now and that he has been able to open his eyes. She said that “the two surgeries went well,” which gave me a little bit of hope in the middle of all the bad news.
After the event, a mournful procession took Harwood and Morrison’s bodies from Kootenai Health to the coroner’s office in Spokane County. There was pain, respect, and disbelief in the air. Pete Holley, the deputy operations chief, was honest about how hard things are for the department right now. “We don’t learn how to do this.” We don’t think it will happen. Holley said, “Our firefighters shouldn’t have to deal with this.” He said that the crew had followed all the laws when putting out a grass fire, which is particularly risky in the dry season.
Then, officials figured out that the fire had been started on purpose with a flint starter, which is a tool people often use when camping or trekking. The culprit opened fire before firefighters could put out the fire. The fire, which was close to Canfield Mountain, burned around 20 acres but has since been put out. Officials said it hadn’t grown since the attack and thought it would be gone by Monday night.
The terrible things that happened reached far beyond the area. Idaho Governor Brad Little wrote on social media that the attack was a “heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters” and asked people all throughout the state to pray for the victims and their families. “Teresa and I are heartbroken,” he wrote.
Both departments have brought in peer support groups from all over the area to assist them deal with the awful loss of their coworkers. Harwood and Morrison were both leaders in more than just their titles. They guided their teams through both big and small problems. Harwood and Morrison’s deaths have left a big hole in their departments and the community where they worked so hard.
Code 4 NW and GoFundMe pages have been set up to aid the families of the firemen who were hurt or killed as the investigation continues. The community is pulling together to help people who were hurt by the horrible tragedy that killed two men who had devoted their lives to protecting others.
