A Blackfoot nonprofit has started raising money for the families of the firefighters killed in last weekend’s attack in northern Idaho.
Fifty-two-year-old Battalion Chief John Morrison of the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department and 42-year-old Battalion Chief Frank Harwood of Kootenai County Fire and Rescue were both killed in an ambush-style attack. A third firefighter was also seriously injured.
Families of the Fallen, a 501c3 in Blackfoot, has started a campaign to raise money for the families of the firefighters. Families of the Fallen’s mission statement is to “honor and preserve the memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving as first responders.”
Executive Director Nicholas Buell is an ex-officer from California who lost several friends who were also serving as first responders.
“I was on the department for about two years and during my short time there, I had to go to a couple of friend’s funerals from them passing away, getting killed in the line of duty,” Buell said. “Going to those funerals and seeing firsthand how it affects not only the community, but the family as well, everyone is in such support immediately. Then everyone kind of just disperses and goes their own way. Life continues on, and these families are left to deal with that aftermath. And so for me, seeing that, it just really put a fire in me that I wanted to do something more.”
Families of the Fallen was then born with the sole purpose of helping families affected by incidents such as the one in northern Idaho. And this month, Buell said 100% of the donations will head to the families of the fallen firefighters.
“When you're the family that has to deal with this it never ends. It doesn't just go away. And the transition from loss and grief back to a normal life is very difficult,” Buell said. “And that's what we kind of want to help with as much as possible. Not only do we want to help financially, but you know, counseling, support for the spouse, the children, anything that we can do to help, we're going to try.”
The nonprofit has two fundraisers going to the families, one being GoFundMe and the other being on a website called Give Butter. Buell hopes the donations will help fund this campaign as well as future campaigns.
To learn more and to donate to Families of the Fallen, you can find them on Facebook or head over to their website where you can also find links to donate to the families of the northern Idaho firefighters.