Last week, commissioners from Shoshone County’s two fire districts voted to consolidate Fire Protection Districts 1 and 2 into a single entity: Silver Valley Fire Rescue. 

On Thursday, each district held a public hearing, giving residents the opportunity to voice questions and concerns before commissioners made their decisions. 

In Osburn, the hearing at the FD1 firehouse was brief, with many attendees expressing support before Commissioners John Specht, Tyler Carrico, and Dennis O’Brien cast their votes in favor of the merger. 

The meeting at the FD2 firehouse in Kellogg was more animated. 

According to information presented at both hearings, consolidation offers several benefits, including improved staffing, equipment sharing, and broader access to grants and other revenue sources. However, one concern for residents on the west end of the Silver Valley was the potential for higher taxes. 

Both districts currently have their own levies and budgets, but consolidation would include merging these as well. Documents that were handed out during the meetings showed that taxpayers in FD2 would see an increase of $8.65 per $100,000 of assessed property value, while those in FD1 would see a decrease of $13.43. 

FD2 Chief Scott Dietrich said the disparity stems from combining the districts into one unified group, rather than operating separately, and consequently, FD2, which covers everything west of Big Creek, has a significantly larger tax base than FD1. 

Dietrich explained that the changes would place all taxpayers on equal footing under a consolidated levy rate, as required by the Idaho State Tax Commission. 

When asked how consolidation would benefit the county, both Dietrich and FD1 Chief John Miller responded. 

Dietrich emphasized firefighter safety. 

“One of my biggest factors for supporting this consolidation is firefighter safety,” he said. “We’re two different districts, but we go to the same scenes together, we’re working together. We need to have the same training standards, the same familiarization with equipment. All our standards need to be identical. There’s ways to do that through other agreements, but it’s way easier when we have one standard for the entire district that everyone is going to follow.” 

The districts entered into a joint operations agreement earlier this year, allowing them to collaborate more closely. However, consolidation would eliminate some of the remaining hurdles that the agreement couldn’t address. 

Miller explained how the districts currently operate, including maintaining two fully staffed ambulances. When multiple calls occur within one district, the other must wait to be requested, not due to territorial issues, but because of liability and procedural requirements. 

“There shouldn’t be invisible lines that tell you you can or can’t do something if someone is having a medical emergency and needs help,” Miller said. “That is a burden to everybody.” 

Miller also said staffing and retention are expected to improve under consolidation, as it would reduce mandatory overtime for employees. Additionally, it would allow for cost-cutting measures across EMS infrastructure, including consolidating websites, alert systems, and other resources. 

Dietrich noted that research shows consolidated fire districts often save communities money. He also highlighted how the change could generate revenue. 

In Idaho, fire districts can accept wildland fire appointments from agencies such as the Idaho Department of Lands or the U.S. Forest Service. During these deployments, firefighters are paid by the requesting agency, and districts receive additional funds for personnel and equipment use. 

Currently, neither district has enough staff to regularly accept these appointments, leaving thousands of dollars unclaimed. Under a consolidated district, staffing could be shifted to cover both stations while also supporting wildland deployments. 

“I have zero hesitation with this consolidation,” Dietrich said. “This will be a benefit to the community because we can move personnel around as needed to staff the stations. We can move the apparatuses around. That aids the community.” 

Following the hearings, FD1 Commissioners Sam Gibbons, Mike Pierce, and Jeff Passer voted in favor of the consolidation, which is expected to become official on Oct. 4. 

In the coming weeks, commissioners will meet to determine how the new district will be governed, including whether to establish a three or five-member board and how to structure internal administration. 

The new Silver Valley Fire Rescue logo on a fire engine at the Kellogg Firehouse.