This Is Our Calling. This Is Our Community. This Is Where We Serve.
On June 29, 2025, the heart of Kootenai County was shaken by a tragedy that words can scarcely contain. What began as a routine response to a brushfire on Canfield Mountain turned into an unthinkable ambush that claimed the lives of two beloved firefighters—Battalion Chief John Morrison of the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department and Battalion Chief Frank Harwood of Kootenai County Fire and Rescue. Firefighter Dave Tysdal, a 23-year veteran, was critically injured and remains in recovery.
These men were more than firefighters. They were leaders, mentors, fathers, and friends. Their loss has left a deep wound in our community—one that will take time, compassion, and unity to heal.
This is not just a story of loss. It is a story of service, of sacrifice, and a community that refuses to let darkness have the final word.
A Sacred Space of Grief
There is no blueprint for a loss of this magnitude.
The firefighters who responded last Sunday are the kind of people who show up, not just when the alarm rings, but when a neighbor needs help, when a child needs a role model, or when a colleague needs a hand. They lived lives of extraordinary service – building teams, mentoring young fire fighters, shaping the culture of their departments.
John Morrison, 52, had served with the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department since 1996. Known for his quiet strength and deep compassion, he was a leader who inspired others to be better—better fire fighters, better fathers, better men.
Frank Harwood, 42, was a respected Battalion Chief with Kootenai County Fire and Rescue and a former Army National Guard combat engineer. He was a man of integrity, deeply committed to his family and his team. He leaves behind a wife and two children.
Firefighter Dave Tysdal survived the incident but faces a long road to recovery. His resilience is a testament to the strength and spirit of our first responders. As he heals, we stand beside him and his family, offering every ounce of support we can muster.
Their legacy is not only in the lives they saved, but in the lives they shaped. To honor them is to carry forward their values: integrity, bravery, compassion, and commitment. It is to show up for one another, to serve with heart, and to never take a single day for granted.
This Is Our Calling
At Spoken Outdoors, we have had the humbling privilege to support our first responder community in this sacred space of grief. We are not on the front lines, we are here to walk beside those who are.
We believe that service is not just a job. It’s a calling. It’s the quiet decision to show up, again and again, even when the cost is high. Morrison, Harwood, and Tysdal answered that call with courage and conviction. And now, it is our turn to answer the call—to care for those who have given so much.
The response from the people of Kootenai County has been nothing short of inspiring. Flags fly at half-mast. Fire stations adorned with flowers, cards, and hand-drawn tributes from children. Local businesses have donated food, supplies, and services. Strangers have become friends in shared mourning.
Over the past week, Spoken Outdoors has actively supported our local fire fighters and their families by assisting with a large-scale food drive, ensuring that those who serve our community are nourished and cared for during this difficult time.
In addition to providing nearly 400 meals to the first responder community, we have also contributed to numerous peer gatherings designed to create safe, supportive spaces where our fire fighters can begin to process the trauma and grief they are experiencing.
These efforts reflect our deep commitment to standing beside those who serve, offering comfort, connection, and care when it’s needed most.
This is what community looks like. This is what hope looks like.
Built for Readiness, Committed to Healing
Our mission has always been to support the mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being of those who serve. But nothing could have prepared us for this. There is no manual for how to hold a grieving widow’s hand. No checklist for how to comfort a firehouse that has lost its heartbeat.
And yet, we remain committed.
We are committed to ensuring our first responders have what they need—not only to serve, but to grieve. We are building spaces for reflection and remembrance. We are connecting trauma-informed care, peer support, and community gatherings to those who need them. We are listening. We are showing up.
Because healing doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens in community.
The Road Ahead Will Be Long
Healing is not linear, and grief does not follow a schedule. But we are committed to walking this road together—with patience, with compassion, and with unwavering support.
We will continue to serve our first responders—not just in times of crisis, but every day. We will continue to create spaces for healing, for reflection, and for connection. We will continue to feed, to listen, to care.
We’ve seen it in the eyes of fellow firefighters who, despite their grief, continue to answer the call. We’ve seen it in the resilience of families who, even in mourning, find strength in one another. We’ve seen it in the quiet acts of kindness—a meal delivered, a prayer whispered, a donation made.
This is what community looks like.
This is what hope looks like.
Honoring Their Legacy
The lives of John Morrison and Frank Harwood were defined by service. The best way we can honor them is to live in a way that reflects their values. To be brave. To be kind. To be present.
Their legacy lives on in every firefighter who dons the uniform. In every child who dreams of being a hero. In every neighbor who chooses compassion over indifference.
As one fire fighter said during a recent vigil, “We will continue to answer the call, because it’s who we are. It’s how we honor the memories of our brothers who gave their lives doing the job they loved in service to others”
Moving Forward Together
The road ahead will not be easy. There will be days when the weight of grief feels unbearable. But we will carry it together. We will lean on one another. We will remember that even in the darkest moments, there is light.
At Spoken Outdoors, we are more committed than ever to walking alongside our first responders—not just in times of crisis, but every day. Because this is our calling. This is our community. This is where we serve.
To the families of John Morrison and Frank Harwood: we see you. We grieve with you. We honor your loved ones, and we will never forget them.
To Dave Tysdal: we are with you on your journey of healing. Your strength inspires us all.
To every fire fighter, medic, and first responder in Kootenai County and beyond: thank you. Your courage inspires us. Your service humbles us. Your humanity binds us together.
And to everyone who has shown up in this time of need—thank you. You are part of the healing. You are part of the hope.
Let us move forward—in faith and in hope.
Spoken Outdoors (a 501(c)(3) organization) serves America’s Protectors by hosting events throughout the U.S. focusing on outdoor experiences that educate, stretch boundaries, challenge limits, and create confidence. Sign up for our newsletter, visit our website, and donate today.
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