Beloved fire chief passes

SANDPOINT — Former Fire Chief Wade Gary Brown passed away Friday following an extended illness.

Brown was 72. Memorial services are set for Monday at 10 a.m. at First Lutheran Church in Sandpoint.

Brown created dueling legacies as an innovative fire chief and somebody who was always eager to help out anybody in a jam.

“He was great guy with a good heart and a good soul,” said Dean Raynor, a retired Sandpoint firefighter who was hired by Brown.

Raynor said Brown would never ask anyone to do something he wasn’t prepared to do himself and would be elbow-to-elbow with fellow firefighters even if he was directing the scene.

“He wasn’t one of these real hard-line type people who was in your face. He was just kind of an easygoing, good person. But he expected you to do your job,” said Raynor.

Brown graduated from Sandpoint High School in 1959 and attended the University of Idaho. He also worked at his family’s Buick dealership in Sandpoint and for the Great Northern Railroad.

He joined the Sandpoint Fire Department, rose through the ranks and was made chief in 1972, according to an online timeline created by the department.

At the time, Brown, who was in his early 30s, was thought to be the youngest fire chief in the West.

“He got the position at a really young age,” remembers former Bonner County Coroner Dale Coffelt.

Raynor said Brown was an early adopter of the concept of cross-training firefighters to act as emergency medical service workers. Raynor said there was some significant push-back from firefighters who weren’t interested in adding a new discipline to their skill set, but Brown persevered.

“We knew that was the direction the fire service was going and he could see that, too,” Raynor said.

Brown was also a firm believer in ongoing education for firefighters.

“He brought the fire department quite a ways professionally,” said Raynor.

Coffelt got to know Brown over the years and was struck by his prominent public-safety streak.

“He was just a straight shooter who was very, very concerned about Sandpoint and its citizenry,” said Coffelt.

Brown retired in 1985.

Close family friend Bobbie Huguenin remembers Brown as someone who was eager to help out friends and strangers alike.

“He was very big-hearted and generous,” said Huguenin.

Brown was also an avid collector, gardener and keeper of exotic fish and animals. He is survived by five children and 10 grandchildren.

Raynor said he couldn’t have asked for a better boss.

“Because of the type of person he was, you wanted to put out an effort for him,” said Raynor.

Brown’s obituary can be viewed online (www.coffeltfuneral.com). Memorials in Brown’s name may be made to the Sandpoint Volunteer Fire Department Association, 1123 Lake St., Sandpoint, ID. 83864.