Idaho Firefighters Cover Shifts in Coeur d'Alene After Deadly Ambush on Colleagues
Crews from across the state volunteered to staff Kootenai County stations so local responders could grieve and attend memorial services after two firefighters were killed.
By Wei Zhang ·
Firefighters from around Idaho have stepped in to keep emergency services running in Coeur d'Alene, giving local responders time to mourn two colleagues killed in an ambush.
The volunteers traveled to North Idaho to take over shifts for Kootenai County first responders, who needed time to grieve and to attend memorial services. Among them was Rachel Rabatin, a firefighter and paramedic from Nampa Station 5.
Rabatin said her husband encouraged her to make the trip. "I have really good support from my husband and he was just like, yeah, go. If this is what you want to do, go," she said.
Although the visiting crews were working in unfamiliar territory, she said a sense of camaraderie developed right away. Local firefighters walked the newcomers through their apparatus thoroughly and let them handle the equipment while they watched, Rabatin said.
Geography proved one of the bigger hurdles. Rural Idaho roads meant response times to some patients could stretch to as long as 30 minutes. "Getting to the call was a little stressful because we don't know the area. We don't know the maps. Google Maps was really our friend," Rabatin said.
Kirk Carpenter, president of the Idaho Fire Chiefs Association, said he was struck by how quickly firefighters offered to help. He described the response as amazing to watch, and said that visiting stations where volunteer crews were working showed him the pride they took in covering those stations and serving those communities.
Residents also showed their gratitude to the visiting crews. Rabatin recalled that people brought food, a gesture she found touching. "I think they didn't really know what else they could do for us. And there wasn't a whole lot, but they wanted to do something, so they brought food. It was pretty cool," she said.
The names of the two firefighters killed, John Morrison and Frank Harwood, will be added to the Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Boise. That is likely to happen before the annual ceremony next February.
Originally published by News Media House · Source: KIVI Idaho News 6
