Itโs been a roller-coaster of a year for Kevin Croffoot. Last September, he was injured at the Wolf Lodge Steakhouse fire while serving as battalion chief for Northern Lakes Fire Protection District and was placed on administrative duties. A week ago, Croffoot became interim fire chief for the department when Pat Riley retired. Croffoot said he was โhumbledโ to be selected and was glad to have Luke Michael and Brad Belmont as interim deputy chiefs to support him.
โGoing through it with instant help from two people was nice. Between all of us, we have a lot of experience and our first day was about dividing and conquering,โ Croffoot said. Croffoot started out as an EMS straight out of high school in 1992 with Arrow Ambulance, covering Coeur dโAlene. He got his EMT certification and was hired full time in 1997.
He said heโs inherited a period when a lot of moving pieces are taking place for the department. Croffoot found comfort amid the transition in knowing that a levy was passed to fund positions originally secured through a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant to create additional firefighter/EMT positions. The SAFER grant expires in March.
