When battalion chief David Heizer first started with Spokane Fire 25 years ago, he never thought he'd have to face gunfire on the job -- as crews in Long Beach did Monday morning.
Heizer told KXLY times have changed and along with that, comes a change in conversation about the way the department trains its crews. In recent years, Spokane Fire began educating its firefighters on how to treat gunshot victims while a gunman is still at large in active shooter training. Heizer said it's separate from fire training -- there's no overlap between the two.
"That victim being one of our own, and not only having the fire to contend with but an active shooter, is something that is not or has not been part of our training at this point," Heizer said.