Award- winning teamwork
(COEUR D’ALENE POLICE DEPARTMENT/Courtesy) Firefighter emergency medical personnel work with Coeur d’Alene police officers during an active shooter training June 20 at a Coeur d’Alene elementary school.
By RALPH BARTHOLDT
Staff Writer
COEUR d’ALENE — Area firefighters will don body armor and be given police protection to get closer to shooting scenes to help save the lives of victims.
The effort by the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department and city police to help gunshot victims in active shooter cases recently garnered an award from the Association of Idaho Cities.
The idea, said Tom Greif, deputy fire chief, started several years ago when firefighters from the city, Northern Lakes Fire and Kootenai Fire and Rescue acted on a national initiative to shave off the time it takes to help victims in a mass shooting scene. They began outfitting paramedics with body armor and kevlar helmets.
The departments teamed with the Coeur d’Alene Police Department and recently started training with them.
In the past, in cases of a shooting, “sometimes we would stage so far away we couldn’t even see the incident,” Greif said.
Medical personnel would wait for an all-clear signal before they tended to victims.
“It can be a long, drawn-out process,” Greif said. “There could be multiple casualties. These people are typically shot by a high-powered rifle. They are bleeding out … time is not on our side.”
The latest response concept, called Rescue Task Force, has police escorting medical personnel into areas that police have cleared.
“They escort us into warm zones where there shouldn’t be direct gunfire, but it’s still a hazard,” Greif said. “We need to go in there and treat these people.”
More training between police and fire crews is planned for this summer.
This year’s public safety award, one of six awards presented to cities throughout the state, commends Coeur d’Alene’s innovation and team effort.
Mayor Steve Widmyer said the recognition is appreciated and reflects the city’s priorities.
“Public safety is our No. 1 mission,” Widmyer said. “To be recognized with this award is a testament to all of the hard-working and dedicated staff that the city of Coeur d’Alene has. Their dedication to public safety is something we can all be proud of.”