Columbus Fire and EMS lieutenant reflects on Idaho shooting tragedy

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — After a gunman intentionally started a wildfire in a mountain community in Idaho and ambushed a group of firefighters in a shootout that left two people dead, many emergency officials around the nation reflected on the tragedy, including Columbus Fire and EMS Lt. Courtney Brown.

WRBL News 3 spoke with Brown on Monday who provided his thoughts and reaction on the tragedy.

“My initial reaction when I heard it was very unfortunate. I couldn’t imagine being summoned to a fire and ended up being a target of gunfire,” said Brown.

According to AP News, on Sunday, the gunman intentionally set the fire to ambush the crew as he was in a sniper position and shot at the firefighters. Two firefighters were killed in the shooting, while a third was wounded.

The suspect was eventually found dead in the mountains with a firearm, according to AP News.

“Although our job is very unpredictable, that is something that we could never, even imagine or even thinking about. So, it is very unfortunate.”

Since the shooting, there’s been an outpour of support around the nation on keeping first responders safe when responding to calls, while officials continue to reflect on this tragedy in hopes of halting another incident in the future.