Northern Lakes Fire District announced Monday the beginning of a new — and big — era. Thirteen firefighters started the third and largest recruit class in the district's history, marking a significant milestone in its mission to provide the highest level of fire protection and emergency services to the community.

This has been made possible by a three-year, $4.5 million Staffing for Adequate Firefighter and Emergency Responder grant from the Department of Homeland Security.

The district will also open a third fire station in Garwood in the fall. This new station will expand Northern Lakes' coverage area and enhance its ability to respond to emergencies in a timely and effective manner.

The Northern Lakes Fire District has a long and proud history of serving the community. It began in 1891 with the Village of Rathdrum's volunteer firefighters. In 1958, the Hayden Lake Volunteer Fire Department was created,

followed by the merger of the city of Rathdrum and Rathdrum Rural in 1978 to include coverage of Twin Lakes, Garwood and Hidden Valley areas in Kootenai County.

In 1984, residents in the Rimrock and Garwood area east of U.S. 95 voted to be annexed into the Hayden Lake Fire District after years of homes lost to fire without a fire department. Both fire districts became career, staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year in the mid-1990s. In October 2000, Hayden Lake and Rathdrum fire districts consolidated, forming today's Northern Lakes Fire District, which covers 108 square miles and responds to over 6,500 emergency incidents every year.

"We are excited to welcome our new recruit class and expand our operations to Garwood," said Northern Lakes Fire District Chief Pat Riley. "These milestones represent our ongoing commitment to providing the highest level of service to our community. We are proud to build on the legacy of our volunteer and career firefighters who have served this area for over a century."

A third station has been needed for many years, Riley said. He said the fire district tried five times to pass an override levy to increase the fire district's funding, so this grant was the only option to get extra firefighters into the community.

"At the end of a three-year period, we're going to need to secure funding through another levy override," Riley said, "or the unfortunate part of this is the public's going to be put to the vote to either support it or we're going to have to close the fire station that we just opened three years ago."