NAMPA, Idaho — Fire departments across the country may need to reconsider how they respond to calls after two battalion chiefs were killed in an ambush in Idaho.
Sunday's incident in Coeur d'Alene highlights the growing and unpredictable risks that firefighters face when responding to emergencies.
Hear what local fire chiefs have to say following Sunday's tragedy:
"They choose this job, understanding the risks that are involved and their families understand those risks. And one that's not ever expected or isn't in that forefront is actually being harmed by someone they're responding to protect," said Kirk Carpenter, Nampa Fire Chief and President of the Idaho Fire Chiefs Association.
The ambush took the lives of battalion chiefs Frank Harwood and John Morrison, bringing renewed attention to the dangers firefighters face beyond the flames.
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In the 911 call from the scene, a first responder can be heard saying: "I am pinned down behind Battalion 1's rig. It's clear to me this fire was started intentionally to draw us in."
Fire vehicles involved in Sunday's shooting are now in the possession of the FBI, taking them out of service while investigators piece together the tragedy.
"They've lost some command vehicles where people were harmed in. And to bring those back and service the community out of those will be very, very difficult," Carpenter said.
The incident is likely to prompt national conversations about firefighter safety protocols.
"I think that this conversation, you know, there's not many examples of this in history that were public. One that got this publicized brings some concern that, yeah, we're going to have to have some conversations," Carpenter said.
While many departments are still processing the tragedy, Carpenter believes difficult discussions about response protocols are inevitable.
"And then I'm assuming myself that, yeah, we have to have some hard conversations about how we respond and how are we going to identify those emergencies that could be possibly dangerous to our firefighters and police above and beyond what they already are," Carpenter said.
The families of the victims have begun planning memorials in Coeur d'Alene.
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