As Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels watched from the command submit close to Canfield whereas crews transported the fallen firefighters off the mountain, he took observe of the expressions on their faces.
“I could see it,” Nowels mentioned. “This wore on them … They’re people that put on their uniform every day, but they’re not supposed to face that.”
Requested to explain the second, Nowels sighed.
“Let that moment be theirs,” Nowels mentioned.
The responding forces included 40 members from Spokane County, together with their air assets.
Nowels mentioned he observed a lot of them have been personalizing the tragedy as they labored.
“You just can’t be involved, that up-close, without personalizing it,” he added.
Earlier that day, Nowels wasn’t working. However when he received the decision, he threw his uniform on and raced throughout the border to Idaho. Hours later, as he waited on the backside of the mountain, he joined officers and waited for extra solutions from the crews, “who did not shy away from danger,” he mentioned.
“I remember sitting at the command post, trying to determine if he was deceased,” Nowels mentioned of the shooter. “I looked at other leaders and asked, ‘Why?’ Why would you kill defenseless firemen?’”
