You see, government does work

On July 5 of this year a strong wind pushed a fire over a ridge and took aim at Bayview, Idaho. In a span of just over a week, it burned more than 1,300 acres and destroyed six homes. The response from the local fire department, though quick and courageous, was not enough and mutual aid was activated.

Within hours, the local units from nearby fire departments, county, state, and federal officials, plus federal firefighting units were converging on the fire. A small city was quickly erected in Farragut State Park to handle all this. It was truly an amazing sight. At one point there were more than 500 personnel involved in the fight. Fire departments from Washington and Montana also sent equipment and personnel. There were also the air crews in helicopters and retardant tankers doing their part.

The whole "incident" as they called it was handled efficiently and professionally from a resident's point of view. Coordination, cooperation, and communication were the key words. A meeting was held every evening at our community center to tell us of what progress they had made that day and what they expected to accomplish the following day. If someone had a question, managers from all levels of the different agencies were there to answer them.

The Kootenai County Sheriff's Office did a great job from a security standpoint and the deputies were also there to assure residents that all precautions were in place to protect our property and allow us back to our homes when it was determined to be safe to do so.

After a few weeks the fire was totally contained and the tent city disappeared, but vigilance was maintained by flight crews and a small contingent of firefighters and equipment to keep an eye on the area - "just in case."

We all hear, read, and talk about our "government" and how it could be better. This was an instance where it worked so well. Thank you to everyone who responded in our time of need. You did great!

Bob and Jean Moore are residents of Bayview.