Missoula Firefighters Rethink Safety After Idaho Tragedy

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - Two Idaho firefighters were ambushed and killed, and one other firefighter was wounded over the weekend near Coeur D’Alene by a man who allegedly set the fire to draw them close enough to shoot them.

Reacting to that tragedy, I reached out to Missoula’s two firefighting agencies to ask about what kind of security our own fire agencies have when they respond to a call.

Missoula Fire Department Assistant Chief of Operations Phil Keating said all first responders are heartbroken over the loss of their comrades.

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“Our hearts are broken for the members and the families of those who were lost yesterday,” began Chief Keating. “I think that's first and foremost, and we want to be able to support that community. However, we can also educate our members on the possibility of something like this happening. We obviously train for active attack when there's a known threat. This is somewhat of a different situation, where, from my understanding, they responded to a call of a wildland fire, unknown threat of any sort, and then were ambushed.”

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Keating said the Idaho firefighters were drawn in by an arson caused wildfire.

Chief Keating said the Firefighters were Deliberately Ambushed

“We try and prepare for every situation,” he said. “Obviously, in a situation like this, there's nothing you can do to prepare for an event like this. They were in their wildland gear, preparing to start with fire suppression activities, and never anticipated this type of situation.”

Missoula Rural Fire Chief Paul Finlay said both agencies participate in annual security training.

“We in the Missoula area have an ‘Active Attack Integrated Response’ meeting once a month, and primarily that is used to as an opportunity to bring training together for active shooter situations that may occur in our community,” began Chief Finlay.

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Chief Finlay said this training fosters vital communications between the participating agencies.

READ MORE: How Missoula Prepares For Active Shooter Situations With Drills

There is Enhanced Communications Between Responding Agencies

“One of the things that has come out of that is increased communication among the agencies,” he said. “Oftentimes, law enforcement might respond to something that may have a weapon involved, or something of that nature, and the fire and EMS community is then put on standby, and fire and EMS are not aware of the entire situation. We've developed ways to share that most critical information so that responders can prepare for what they may encounter.”