COEUR d’ALENE — David Tysdal, the fire engineer who survived a shooting that killed two fellow firefighters on Canfield Mountain last June, has retired from the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department after 24 years of service. 

The department announced Tysdal’s retirement Thursday. His final day was Jan. 31. 

“As a result of injuries sustained in the service of our community, Tysdal’s continued medical treatment and recovery made retirement the right move for Dave and his family,” a news release said. 

The eyes of the world were on Coeur d’Alene on June 29, 2025, when a gunman shot Tysdal and two other firefighters in what police describe as a “premeditated ambush” on Canfield Mountain. 

Coeur d’Alene Battalion Chief John Morrison, 52, and 42-year-old Battalion Chief Frank Harwood, of Kootenai County Fire and Rescue, died from their injuries. 

Fire officials said Tysdal sustained a single gunshot wound to the back that damaged his collarbone, collapsed a lung, shattered his ribs and left him unable to move anything below the chest. 

Tysdal saved lives on Canfield Mountain even after he was shot, warning other firefighters that they were taking gunfire. Wounded and unable to move, Tysdal used his chin to press his microphone against his shoulder and activate it. 

“Dave’s the one who got Battalion 5 to get down and get to cover,” Capt. Nate Hyder told The Press a week after the attack. 

In July, Tysdal received a hero’s sendoff when he transferred from Kootenai Health to a rehab facility in Colorado. He returned home to North Idaho in time for Christmas and was to continue therapy for his spinal cord injury. 

With his retirement, Tysdal leaves behind a legacy. 

He joined the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department in 2002, when the EMS system ended and a new fire-based EMS system took its place in Kootenai County. 

He’s one of the founders of Idaho Disaster Dogs, a nonprofit canine search and rescue team, and was a K-9 handler for two dogs, Bailey and Maya. 

Tysdal was a driving force in establishing the Idaho Technical Rescue in Region 1, one of four regional teams in Idaho. He was a subject-matter expert and instructor in all technical rescue disciplines, instructing all members of the Region 1 team on building collapse, confined space and trench rescue, and his specialty, high-angle rope rescue. 

Tysdal was a member of the apparatus committee and instrumental in placing new fire apparatus into service and in training all fire department personnel in their use, according to the department. 

He led the preparation of the department’s fireboat for service and created a training program for all fire department personnel to learn marine firefighting operations. 

“There is not an engineer (driver/operator) of our fire apparatus in the last 15 to 20 years who didn’t have Dave as a mentor,” a news release said.  

In 2016, Tysdal was honored as Employee of the Year and he was recently nominated for the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the attack on Canfield Mountain. 

“Above all, Dave is one of the best human beings you will ever meet and we are lucky to have had him in our fire family,” a statement from the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department said. “Dave, we thank you for your service and dedication to the city of Coeur d’Alene and surrounding community. You will be missed. We hope to see you around often, making sure we carry on your legacy.” 

    Tysdal