SANDOINT — Low call volume is the only reason Selkirk Fire Rescue and EMS hasn’t seen a bad outcome when responding to emergencies, according to Chief Tim Nowak of EMSllc.

The comment stems from a March 23 meeting covering an emergency services needs and feasibility assessment conducted by Nowak earlier this year, where he focused on the sustainability of Selkirk Fire’s operations in the coming years.  

Looking toward the future with Selkirk, in addition to its Westside and Sagle independent fire districts, the 74-page assessment bluntly outlined key changes the organization should make to allow for safer, more reliable and long-term practices in the county.  

The straightforward analysis highlighted a handful of suggested changes for the entity, most notably related to the structure of the organization as it relates to a joint powers agreement with Westside and Sagle. 

Under a joint powers agreement with Westside Fire and Sagle Fire, Selkirk Fire Rescue and EMS was created to allow area districts to work together, pooling resources to provide more efficient services. The separate taxing entities utilize the income for fire protection within their geographical boundaries, and use Selkirk for resources as it pertains to protection services. Under the JPA, both districts share a chief, fire administrator, personnel, equipment and more. 

“It’s a weird dynamic, which, in the end of the day, I think really leads to some of the oversight and organizational problems that do exist because the JPA is restrictive, which is weird because, politically, the culture here seems to be the opposite, where it wants to have way more free or open form, but it’s the most restrictive thing I’ve seen in this part of the country,” said Nowak. 

In an effort to streamline the JPA, Nowak strongly suggested the districts operate as one department as opposed to separate districts, where funds from the two taxing districts would go toward a single department as opposed to two separate entities.  

Nowak said a shift in mindset on how the districts are funded would create more clarity and help appropriately staff the department on an equitable basis of risk and need, not position-based.  

“Eliminate the thought process of funding one or two persons; you’re funding operations, and how the department uses the money for operations. You’re not funding one person, two persons, three persons; you’re funding a department. And the department is going to staff based on that. Not necessarily equal, but equitably,” Nowak said.  

Comments were additionally mentioned regarding Northside Fire’s position within Selkirk, where Nowak suggested bringing “Northside under the Selkirk umbrella.” 

“Accounting for Northside, even though they weren’t part of this study directly, I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that the next step in the short-term equation is bridging them fully into the Selkirk umbrella. Because their future is probably limited, as we speak,” Nowak said.  

In further discussions, Nowak said that the districts did not have an apparatus or “stuff” problem, but a personnel problem. He said that staffing levels for the districts were below safe and effective measures, a point Selkirk Fire Rescue and EMS Chief Jeff Armstrong has made during two attempts to pass permanent levies 

Nowak said that, under a single fire department, there should be a minimum staffing level of seven first responders, ideally nine per day, with three people per fire truck as opposed to one. As a result, to operate safely, Nowak indicated budgeting 27 line personnel to allow coverage of leave, sickness, or vacancies.  

Nowak said the reality is that volunteer staffing is no longer viable and should not be relied on as the backbone of the system. He indicated that volunteers have declined across the country, with Idaho seeing a steeper decline.  

“In this part of the country, volunteerism is dead. I don’t believe it’s reliable for a number of factors,” Nowak said. “Even to maintain or have a volunteer presence within this department, 20 is a nice number, but 50 [volunteers] is what you probably need just to have even a viable presence of a volunteer response within this department. Anything less than that is probably just going to be negligible.” 

Other topics were brought forth regarding the assessment, including the need for the districts not to create their own ambulance service district and for them to obtain the same level of emergency response certification, as opposed to differing levels.  

Nowak ended the conversation by stating that Westside, Sagle and Northside are likely to be unable to safely operate semi-independently of one another, saying operation as a single “Selkirk” fire department should be the goal. He said the adjusted JPA would allow the department to adopt real staffing standards and bring financial peace to Northside, eliminating the district’s failure or merging with Sandpoint Fire.  

In additional closing remarks, Nowak advised the department to prepare to close or sell unstaffed stations or surplus apparatus if funding continues to become scarce.  

“These are vulnerable, very difficult conversations. Going forward from here is by no means easy, but at least I wanted to give you an outside perspective, unbiased," Nowak said.