Sagle, Westside fire districts approve successor joint powers agreement

By Zach Hagadone

Selkirk Fire personnel.
Courtesy photo.

Reader Staff

It has been a season of dramatic change for the Selkirk Fire service. First came calls for a change in the joint powers agreement leadership in October, followed by negotiations between Sandpoint, Sagle and the Westside fire districts, culminating with the decision in April that Sandpoint would disengage from the JPA and create its own fire department.

Now, according to a June 6 announcement, the boards of the Sagle and Westside fire districts have approved a new agreement to serve as the successor to the Selkirk Fire, Rescue and EMS JPA, which will ensure future collaboration between the organizations to provide fire protection in their areas.

“The past few months have involved intensive and meaningful work as we reconstruct the JPA,” stated Sagle Fire District Board Chair Geraldine Lewis. “On June 5, we swore in our new Fire  Chief Jeff Armstrong, amid a spirit of optimism and excitement for the future. Firefighters and  commissioners see this as an opportunity for a stronger, more sustainable fire district.”  

Selkirk Fire officials stated that the JPA model “has proven to provide a higher level of service, coordinated responses, increased firefighter safety and potential for cost savings.” 

According to Armstrong, “Fire departments in the area have limited resources and limited budgets. It is vital  that we work to support each other, outside of responding to emergency incidents.” 

The board also has a joint operations agreement with the Northside Fire District, which Armstrong also serves as the fire chief under contract — a move that officials said saves the district funds, and allows for the hiring of an additional full-time firefighter.  

Gavin Gilcrease serves as the chief of the Sandpoint Fire Department, which will become an official entity effective on Monday, July 1. Gilcrease told the Sandpoint City Council at its June 5 meeting that the SFD will feature nine crew members — all based in Sandpoint — who will be introduced at a to-be-determined council meeting in July.

Mayor Jeremy Grimm wrote that upon his swearing in in January, “one of the top priorities of my office has been to address the approaching expiration of the joint powers agreement for the coordinated and cooperative provision of fire services in the city of Sandpoint, Sagle Fire District and Westside Fire District.”

However, he added, the city received a joint communication from the boards of the Sagle and Westside fire districts indicating that they intended “to move to a more enhanced model, specifically one similar to a fire authority.”

After lengthy discussions over the course of several special meetings, Sandpoint officials determined that Idaho law did not provide for a mechanism to create such a fire authority and the city would have to budget independently for the provision of fire services in Sandpoint. The council then voted in April to leave the JPA — at least for now.

“Looking into the future, I believe that there is merit and value in continued discussions with adjacent fire districts and an opportunity to explore a legal framework that would result in the proposition to the public for the creation of a larger regional fire district to serve the area,” Grimm wrote. “In the interim, it is my hope that the valuable cross training, collaboration and friendship that has occurred between districts over the past nine years will continue to be supported no matter what framework is used to serve the public.”  

Selkirk Fire can be reached at: 208-263-7929 from Monday-Thursday and at the Sagle Fire Station, located at 2689 Gun Club Road. Firefighters remain on duty 24 hours per day, seven days per week at the Sagle, Careywood, and Wrenco fire stations.