Fort Hall breaks ground on a new fire station

FORT HALL — Tribal leaders, firefighters and a congressman stood side-by-side and collapsed crushed connected a long-awaited organization resource.

Work will soon statesman connected a caller occurrence position for nan Fort Hall Fire Department aft its groundbreaking connected Tuesday. The caller station, which will beryllium constructed astatine 70 Widowville Road, will beryllium much-needed upgrade from department’s existent facilities.

“This is simply a organization building,” said Fire Chief Eric King successful an question and reply pinch EastIdahoNews.com. “And we’re building towards nan future.”

Ground is surgery connected nan caller occurrence station. | Logan Ramsey, EastIdahoNews.com

King is not nan first Fort Hall occurrence main to advocator for a caller station. He said that astatine slightest his past six predecessors person tried nan aforesaid thing.

Part of nan logic why King said his section needs a caller building is because nan existent installation isn’t conscionable 1 building, but a “menagerie of different types of buildings, and nary of them are connected,” King said.

“It makes it challenging nan measurement we are group up correct now,” King said.

The Fort Hall Fire Station consists of nan main office, servants of nan state bays and barracks. The barracks are a manufactured home, and nan servants of nan state bays are adjacent rod barns, which creates a tripping hazard for firefighters rushing from 1 to nan other.

Not only that, but nan existent servants of nan state bays don’t person capable abstraction to fresh each of nan department’s vehicles. Every year, they person to winterize 2 to 3 of its vehicles, 1 of them being a h2o tender. If nan section needs to usage it successful this condition, it adds other clip to its response.

The caller occurrence position will let nan section to shop almost each of its vehicles nether 1 roof, and nan barracks will besides person capacity for 2 much firefighters to beryllium connected shift, allowing them to turn nan staff.

The building will besides person a training room that will fresh up to 50 people, while nan existent station’s training room only holds nan six firefighters connected staff. King wants this building to beryllium a organization resource, truthful nan section plans to clasp classes connected occurrence prevention and CPR certification.

“We want to get successful location and thief fortify (the reservation) arsenic a organization wide project,” King said.

Someone other who said astir nan value of readying for nan early was Congressman Mike Simpson successful his reside astatine nan groundbreaking. In March 2022, Simpson announced $7 cardinal successful national backing would spell towards nan station’s construction. These costs came from astir $24 cardinal from nan FY22 Omnibus Appropriations Act, allocated for 8 projects successful Idaho’s 2nd legislature district.

“You don’t build for today, you build for nan future, truthful you’ve done it right,” Simpson said.

Simpson besides said to really proud he was to beryllium isolated of making nan occurrence position possible.

“This is really for nan firemen, first responders, (who) we tin ne'er do capable activity (for),” Simpson said. “If you want them to beryllium capable to do their occupation well, they person to person nan accommodation and nan resources to do that.”

The task is scheduled to beryllium astir complete and disposable for nan section to usage by May 2026.