SALT LAKE CITY — This weekend's tragedy in northern Idaho, in which two people were killed and multiple firefighters were shot, shows just how dangerous a first responder's job can be. For those who train to battle wildfires in Utah, the focus must sometimes be on more than just the flames.
“Firefighters, police officers, I think we all understand that we have risky jobs,” said Unified Fire Authority spokesperson Benjamin Porter. "When we get on scene, we might come across an incident that’s radically different than what we were expecting."
Remaining vigilant is the only way a first responder can do their job.
"The absolute number one question we ask ourselves when we arrive somewhere is, 'Am I safe to be here?'” Porter explained.
Despite training for almost anything, there's no doubt that Sunday's ambush in Idaho went far beyond what even the most trained professional could be prepared for.
“Firefighters are going to a forest fire, they’re not worried about getting shot at by a sniper. This just doesn’t happen,” said former FBI agent Greg Rogers.
2 killed in sniper ambush as Idaho firefighters come under siege:
Reports say Wess Roley, the man responsible for the shooting, who was later found dead, wanted to be a firefighter.
"Law enforcement called it accurately; this was an ambush," said Rogers. "[Roley] essentially assassinated some innocent firefighters; those guys don’t have weapons. They couldn’t shoot back."
While Sunday's incident was rare, Porter shared how Unified Fire crews train for active shooter situations with law enforcement.
"That’s going to be a situation where there’s going to be a known active shooter and we’re going in and helping mitigate that active shooter situation,” said Porter.
Rogers believes a swift investigation is already underway.
"FBI is going to be cooperating and assisting state and local law enforcement, they’re going to be going thorough, a deep dive into not only his cell phone, which they have, but they’re going to be going through any other devices.”
As more information comes out, many people have been sending love and light to those impacted.
"This is an absolute tragedy," Porter said. "This is a tragedy for the firefighters, their families, their community, their department, and our hearts and our thoughts are with those firefighters."
