Celebrating North Idaho's finest

COEUR d'ALENE — Honor, humility and humble gratitude were worn like badges, stripes and stars during the Coeur d'Alene Regional Chamber of Commerce's inaugural Public Safety Awards Luncheon on Wednesday.

Seven first responders were recognized for their outstanding service to their communities: Coeur d'Alene Police Officer Eric Boardman; Coeur d'Alene Tribal Police Lt. Robert Wienclaw; Kootenai County Sheriff's Office Deputy Jacob Kremer; Kootenai County Fire and Rescue engineer/paramedic Mitchell Copstead; Post Falls Police Chaplain Jacque Panza; Idaho State Police Detective Cody Herman; Kootenai County EMS EMT/paramedic Thomas "Gabe" Eckert; and Coeur d'Alene Firefighter Ben Kaiser.

"The community support for our public safety officials, our first responders, has been tremendous," Coeur d'Alene Chamber President Derrell Hartwick said. "When COVID hit, our board stopped and said, 'What is important? What do we need to have this year for our community? What's going on, what's relevant, who needs the most recognition?' And this event was at the top of the list."

Tales of courage, selflessness and quick thinking were shared as recipients accepted his or her awards at the lectern in the Best Western Plus Coeur d'Alene Inn conference room.

These men and women catch bad guys, patrol and protect their towns, educate community members, face almost certain death, comfort the bereft and mourn the loss of their own brothers and sisters in bravery.

And they wake up every day to do it again.

"It's extremely humbling to be the individual standing up here because of the quality and caliber of the people that I serve with at Coeur d'Alene PD," award recipient Officer Eric Boardman said, adding that his family is what allows him to do his work.

"It's downright impossible if you don't have a great support system at home, and mine couldn't be better," he said.

This was an especially touching ceremony that drummed up a lot of memories for Mitchell Copstead, whose late father, longtime Coeur d'Alene Chamber member and friend Chris Copstead, was laid to rest on Friday.

"I started remembering, growing up, how we built the parade floats and going all over the Northwest with the Commodores to all the different parades and then also helping set up for the Awesome Auction," he said. "Receiving an award from the Chamber is a little bit extra special for me."

Mike White, a board member for Kootenai Police and Fire Memorial Foundation, shared his appreciation for the men and women on the front lines.

"We are truly appreciative of the people in public safety, and with some of the dialogue that's been going on lately, I'm just going to say it — I don't know how you sleep at night, if we didn't have you," he said. "There's a certain sense of peace and security that comes with knowing you can pick up the phone, and if that went away, I don't know what would happen."

Friday is National First Responder Appreciation Day.