COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho – Fellow firefighters are sharing memories of two battalion chiefs killed in Sunday’s ambush in Coeur d’Alene, remembering them as devoted fathers and natural leaders who made lasting impacts on everyone around them.
Coeur d’Alene Battalion Chief John Morrison and Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Frank Harwood died in the tragic attack. Their colleagues, who called them brothers, gathered Thursday to reflect on who they were both on and off the job.
At Coeur d’Alene Fire Station 3, firefighters sat around a table sharing stories about Morrison. One seat remained empty – where Morrison always sat – and his absence was deeply felt.
“John was a big man, big physically and just big in heart and just in general. His personality was contagious,” said a colleague.
Morrison was known for his larger-than-life personality. Many stories shared about him were followed by laughter, but firefighters say they’ll miss his ability to keep conversations flowing.
“He’ll be missed there because he made the conversations go. Whichever way they went, you would never know, but he made the conversations go,” said a firefighter. “That’ll be the hard part is not seeing him there and not be able to talk to him.”
“He was a physical presence. He was larger than life at times, he’s charismatic. He was competent. He had a presence that when times were stressful, it could put you at ease,” said Captain Nate Hyde with the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department.
Matt Church, a Coeur d’Alene firefighter, spoke about Morrison’s dedication to his family, especially his son Joe.
“His family life meant everything. The way he treated his family, specifically his son Joe, he was a great father, one of the best fathers I’ve ever seen,” Church said.
Kootenai County Battalion Chief Frank Harwood is remembered as an exceptional leader. Pete Holley, Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Deputy Chief of Operations, described him as someone who remained calm during chaos and loved serving others.
“Great, a great man, a great friend, a great human. A great leader. I can continue to go on and on. He’s, he was amazing in a lot of ways,” Holley said.
Harwood was a born leader who always put his family first, particularly his two young daughters.
“A family man. He loved his family. He talked about his family a lot. He has two young girls that he loved, dearly loved going to their events, loved being with them,” Holley said.
The community continues to honor both men with flowers left where flags fly at half-staff.
The firefighters say the loss is still sinking in and some haven’t yet accepted it. They appreciate the community’s overwhelming support and hope people remember these fallen heroes as devoted family men and natural leaders.
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