Kootenai County Fire and Rescue is undergoing significant expansion, with new station locations and a fifth station in development across its 113-square-mile coverage area. These projects, funded by voter-approved bond initiatives in 2021, aim to improve emergency response times and coverage.

Dan Ryan, deputy chief of support services, said Station No. 4 at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds was completed last month, and the department is now focusing on the new Prairie Avenue and Charleville Road station, which will replace the 16th Street firehouse off Highway 41.

The changes stem from a comprehensive facility study conducted five to six years ago. The Prairie and Charleville location was donated when the Tullamore subdivision was first platted.

"The town has grown, and the existing station just wasn't in the right place anymore," Ryan said.

The fairgrounds proved to be another strategic location. "We were able to work for a reasonable deal between the North Idaho fair board and Kootenai County commissioners," Ryan said. The department utilized resources from the International Association of Firefighters to optimize station locations based on driving mileage and response times.

A fifth station, set to open in 2025, will be located at the department's training center on Seltice Way. All three new station buildings cost $4 million apiece.

Ryan, who joined as fire marshal for the Post Falls Fire District in 1991, reflected on the department's growth: "It's amazing what we started out with early in my career and where we're at." From just two full-time paid staff members in 1991, the department has grown to 100 staff members today, including 16 new firefighters hired this year through a grant to staff the upcoming fifth station.

The expansion comes as the city of Post Falls' population has surged to over 47,000, according to the Post Falls Police Department.