The shooting of a Youngstown firefighter on the North Side of the city last week represents more

The shooting of a Youngstown firefighter on the North Side of the city last week represents more than just a disgusting ambush-style attack on a duty-conscious first responder. It represents an assault on all of us.

That’s because the city’s dedicated crews of firefighters and other safety forces are sworn to protect all property and all lives in the city. An attack on one is an attack on all who work tirelessly to maintain maximum safety and security throughout Youngstown.

As such, city police must leave no stone unturned in their quest to apprehend the assailant and seek punishment to the fullest and harshest extent of the law.

The tragedy unfolded about 11:25 p.m. last Monday as crews were clearing the scene of a vacant house fire when suddenly a triggerman fired several rounds from an assault rifle at their truck in the 100 block of Halleck Avenue. One of the bullets struck Lt. Paul Lutton and injured him in the leg. He was treated at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, was released and is reportedly recovering well.

Another bullet went through the coat of firefighter Dwyane Montgomery but miraculously did not injure him, according to police reports.

Police and fire officials have concluded that the attack was an intentional targeted shooting and as a result, police are now accompanying fire crews to all calls to provide an additional layer of safety and security. Authorities plan to continue that protocol until the shooter is apprehended.

That strategy is wise and responsible. After all, firefighters subject themselves to a wide variety of unpredictable dangers each and every time they respond to a call or an alarm.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, some 68,085 American firemen and firewomen were injured in the line of duty in 2015 from such causes as falls, jumps, slips, overexertion, asphyxiation and exposure to hazardous materials or radiation. Dodging lethal bullets is one job hazard that firefighters should never have to endure.

PERSON OF INTEREST HELD

Four days after the shooting, city police did apprehend a person of interest – not necessarily a suspect – in the despicable shooting. A warrant was filed against Cameron Dyer, 30, of Ohio Avenue for disrupting public services, a fourth-degree felony. That stemmed from an altercation between Cameron and firefighters on the scene. According to police, Dyer believed the crew was not acting quickly enough to save the burning home.

Why such frenzied concern? It turned out that Dyer admitted to police that he had about $10,000 in money reaped from drug dealing stashed inside the burning structure.

That concern is hardly surprising, considering that Dyer has a long rap sheet of many drug offenses. At the time of the fire, he was free on bond awaiting sentencing that was scheduled later this week.

In the informal court of public opinion, many have rightly already found the taunter guilty of idiotic behavior by disrupting the focused efforts of firefighters to douse the flames and save its contents – even the likely ill-gotten cash. Whoever is ultimately charged and convicted of firing the shots should pay even more dearly for such idiocy.

Fortunately, Ohio law allows for more serious charges with more severe penalties to be meted out against those pernicious criminals who intentionally target for harm members of a protected class of public servants, including firefighters.

As of Tuesday, city police, firefighters and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation continued their intense and cooperative investigation into the shooting and the evidence from the scene. Anyone with any information about the crime should contact the city police department. The sooner the gunman is charged and convicted, the better off will be all city firefighters and guardians of public peace and security.

Stern and speedy punishment for such slime can serve as a signal to other would-be trigger-happy evil-doers that this community stands united in its outrage against the shooting of the fire crew and in its resolve to prevent any similar acts of abominable cowardice and brutality against those who toil selflessly day-in and day-out to deliver maximum protection for us all.