COEUR d’ALENE — The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office plans to ask commissioners to approve a two-year, donation-funded pilot program for a helicopter unit.

If it takes off, the Kootenai County Regional Air Support Unit would be the first of its kind in Idaho.

Sheriff Bob Norris pitched the idea to commissioners on Tuesday. The unit would operate with volunteer pilots who have at least 1,000 hours of flight time and would focus primarily on search and rescue.

Community members have donated a little more than $700,000 toward the program so far, Norris said.

Some of the funds have been used to purchase and upgrade a $500,000 1994 BELL 206 helicopter, which seats four and doesn’t have hoist capabilities.

The sheriff’s office estimates that annual expenses for the unit, including maintenance and insurance, would be about $71,500.

Kootenai County allocates $10,000 annually to Spokane County to use its helicopter. Norris said he believes the remaining funds can be covered by donations, just as the K-9 unit is.

Two Bear Air Rescue, based in Whitefish, Mont., has provided the sheriff’s office with aerial support for about seven years. But it takes three hours to fly to Kootenai County and the rescue service is often occupied with local missions.

“They are quite busy in the Whitefish area,” Lt. Mark Ellis said.

Similarly, because Spokane County prioritizes local service calls, the department isn’t always able to respond when Kootenai County requests aerial support.

A helicopter based in Coeur d’Alene would enable local law enforcement to respond faster and more reliably, Ellis said.

Commissioner Chris Fillios expressed skepticism about the ongoing costs.

“I think we’re going to find ourselves in a position where we’re spending a lot more money than we need to,” Fillios said.

Commissioner Leslie Duncan noted that a helicopter could be used for both search and rescue and in pursuits.

“It’s hard for me to say no when you have a group of individuals in the community who want to fund this project,” she said.