The shootings of first responders Sunday sent shockwaves across the nation. In neighboring Shoshone County, elected officials, law enforcement and EMS personnel are standing in solidarity with their counterparts in Kootenai County. 

Shoshone County Fire Protection District No. 2 Chief Scott Dietrich, who served 13 years with the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department before becoming chief in Kellogg, feels the impact of the tragedy on a deeply personal level. 

“Everyone involved in Sunday's tragedy were my brothers and sisters,” Dietrich said. “My heart is broken today for everyone at Coeur d'Alene Fire Department, Kootenai County Fire and Rescue and all of their families."

Shoshone County Commissioners Jeff Zimmerman, Dave Dose and Melissa Cowles expressed condolences to the families of the two fallen firefighters and extended wishes for a full and speedy recovery to those injured. 

“Our prayers and admiration today are for all the first responders in Kootenai and Shoshone County and elsewhere throughout the nation who have to go back to work with courage and determination, having been painfully reminded of the fragility of life and the risks they take every day to protect and serve us," Dose said.

Shoshone County Undersheriff Lance Stutzke said the events are a reminder of the unpredictable dangers first responders face.

“We hug our families before we leave each day, but never expect that could be the last embrace, the last little smile or the last ‘I love you,’” Stutzke said. “While tragedies like this can't be explained or fully understood, we should always try to learn something from them and in that way, we honor the sacrifices made to protect others, as the firefighters and other first responders on Canfield Mountain did yesterday.”