Kootenai County deputy named breakout speaker at national response conference
Harvey Ballman will take North Idaho’s Canfield Fire lessons to a national stage in Texas. The Kootenai County deputy was named a breakout speaker at ALERRT’s November conference.
Kootenai County Sheriff’s Deputy Harvey Ballman has been selected as a breakout speaker for the 2026 ALERRT Active Shooter Integrated Response Conference.
The conference is built around the same interagency work needed in a fast-moving attack or mass-casualty scene. Ballman, Arek Brock and Josh Orr were recognized for their response to the Canfield Fire ambush east of Coeur d’Alene on June 29, 2025, when 20-year-old Wess Roley allegedly started the fire, killed two firefighters and then took his own life.
During that response, the three deputies helped evacuate a seriously wounded firefighter, another firefighter who was trapped and five civilians. For that work, Ballman, Brock and Orr received both the Idaho Attorney General’s Medal of Honor and the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office Medal of Honor.
He has been an ALERRT instructor since 2015 and maintains certifications in firearms, tactical team operations and active shooter response. Before law enforcement, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2005 to 2009 and in the Marine Corps Reserve from 2009 to 2014.
ALERRT’s annual conference is the only national conference that bridges law enforcement, fire and EMS responses to active shooter and attack events. The center, based at Texas State University, has trained more than 130,000 law enforcement and fire officials nationwide and received more than $72 million in state and federal grant funding since 2002.
The 2026 conference is scheduled for Nov. 16-19 at Kalahari Resorts & Conventions in Round Rock, Texas. Its program includes general sessions, breakout sessions and a Tuesday afternoon “Austin Shooting Debrief & Closing Remarks” session on Nov. 17.
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