COEUR d'ALENE - For more than a year, four members of the Coeur d'Alene Fire Department have trained alongside law enforcement personnel in Special Weapons and Tactics, commonly known as SWAT.

At a meeting of the city of Coeur d'Alene General Services Committee Monday, Fire Chief Kenny Gabriel said once the training is completed, the four members of his department will be what are called "tactical paramedics." That will enable members of the county's joint SWAT team to have immediate access to emergency medical services.

"This is actually a very progressive program," Police Chief Lee White told the committee. "Historically, when there is a SWAT situation we have to keep the general public out while trying to contain the situation. A lot of times that excludes the fire department from coming into what we call the 'Hot Zone.' Having the paramedics right there allows them to more quickly render aid."

Once the training is completed, Gabriel said, he intends to present an update on the program to the city council.

At the General Services meeting, the fire chief requested approval for his department to borrow, from an outside agency, some equipment needed for the program to succeed: $5,000 radios that can communicate on encrypted channels.

Gabriel told the committee that through grant funding, Kootenai County Fire and Rescue received more radios than the agency needs, and is willing to loan four of the devices to the tactical paramedics.

According to White and Gabriel, the radios look similar to the ones the fire department traditionally uses. The only difference is in the specialized encryption hardware inside the radios themselves.

"The radios have the ability to broadcast the coded channels that are very specific," Gabriel said. "They don't want the SWAT channels being out on the scanner so they are coded and won't go out on the air."

White stressed the importance of communication in any SWAT operation, as well as the need for tactical paramedics to be involved. He said he had countless experiences in his previous position in Arizona where having the trained paramedics immediately available saved lives.

The equipment loan agreement was approved by the committee and will be taken to a final vote before the city council during its next meeting. Under the agreement, the Coeur d'Alene Fire Department is required to return the radios within 30 days of a request from Kootenai County Fire and Rescue.

Gabriel added that as the program moves forward, the fire department will be working with city officials to pursue grant funding for any other necessary equipment.

"It's an incredible program," Gabriel said. "The training is rigorous. They have to pass the exact same physical agility test as the officers do and they go through weapons training just as the officers do."