Residents remember 9/11

To remember the events of September 11, 2001 and to remind others, the Clark Fork Valley Elks Lodge and the Thompson Falls Rural Fire Department (TFRFD) paired up. The Elks held their annual ride down Main Street in their side-by-sides and ended at the TFRFD fire house. When there, they toured the facility and paid their respects to a special 9/11 memorial.

"They lost 343 firefighters that day, and it could easily have been our firefighters in some other incident. They are a brotherhood," said Bernice Robbins, the secretary for the TFRFD trustees. The firehouse set up the memorial to remember those who died on the day the twin towers fell. The memorial includes a list of the names of the first responders that gave their lives and pieces of rubble from ground zero. "We're very fortunate to have the pieces that we do," said Robbins about the original pieces.

According to Charlie Munday, Exalted Ruler of the Clark Fork Valley Elks Lodge, the ride was over a mile long, with at least 30 side-by-sides, numerous first responders and many other vehicles that joined. The Elks first did the ride in 2019. "They were excited! They were amazing! It was a good feeling to be a part of such a statement. The country is loved and endured," Munday said of the Elks ride.

TFRFD held an open house throughout the day, where volunteer firefighters visited with the community, handing out balloons, water bottles, cake and goody bags filled with 9/11 memorabilia and brochures. The firefighters had a display set up to show the price of each piece of gear that every firefighter must have during a call. The gear cost totalled over $4,556 to outfit one volunteer firefighter.

TFRFD has 18 volunteers, and according to Lieutenant Steve Kelton, a firefighter with over 28 years of experience in several states, "We could sure use more." Fortunately, Kelton explained that many of the employers in the community are extremely understanding, as the limited volunteers need to be able to leave their day jobs at a moment's notice, in case their pagers go off. "We appreciate our employers doing that," said Kelton. Unfortunately, not everyone can make every call, and Kelton said that they are often shorthanded in the middle of workdays. "We're always looking for more help from anyone who wants to help the community," added Kelton.

Another volunteer firefighter, Steve Davis, said it is important to him "to be community oriented. It's the small-town love." Davis has been with the department for just over a year and loves what he does. "It takes everyone to keep everyone safe," said Liam Moore, a volunteer with two years in the department.

The TFRFD held a poster contest in which students from Thompson Falls Elementary School grades second through fourth submitted designs that were posted on the fire engines during the ride. Place winners also got to ride in the fire engines during the drive down mainstreet. The first place winner for second, third and fourth grades, Adam Hutchings, was excited to ride in the fire trucks along with the procession. He was awarded $20 by Phil Lewis from the TFRFD, and his poster is up at the firehouse. His mother, Mary Hutchings, said, "He actually only worked on this poster the night before. He stayed up late and spent hours trying to make it perfect."

The volunteer firefighters train three times a month and work to help the community 24-7. To all the firefighters at the TFFD, 9/11 needs to be remembered. According to Davis, "It could have been any first responder. We definitely should never forget these people's sacrifice."