Administrative Offices
125 W. Hayden Ave.
Hayden, ID 83835
208/772-5711
Current Burn Condition
Updated 10/21/2021
Proudly Serving the Areas of and Surrounding Hayden and Rathdrum, Idaho
Burn permits are now required during
Closed Fire Season
from May 10 through Oct 20
Permits are available through the Idaho Dept. of Lands at their website www.burnpermits.idaho.gov
Permits are free and good for 10 days. A permit can be renewed as long as there is no burn ban.
Permits are required for burn barrels, yard waste, slash piles, weed control, rangeland, prescribed burning, and crop residue/pastureland.
Permits are not required for small cooking or warming fires or recreational fires. Bonfires require written permission from the District.
You must call the Air Quality Hotline at
800-633-6247 (select Option #3 for
Kootenai County) or visit
for conditions prior to burning.
If air quality is Green, burning is allowed.
If air quality is Yellow, a voluntary burn ban is in effect. If air quality is Red, burning is
not allowed in the District
A copy of the District's burning rules
must be on hand while burning
EMERGENCY ALERT
Alert! Kootenai is the emergency alert system that enables the County to provide the public with critical information quickly in a variety of situations, such as winter storms, flooding, major forest fires, unexpected road closures, evacuations of building or neighborhoods and more.
RECRUITMENT
The Northern Lakes Fire District is currently accepting application packets to establish an eligibility list for both current and future employment openings for:
- Lateral Firefighter/Paramedic (preferred)
- Lateral Firefighter/EMT
To qualify for lateral hire, applicant must have two or more continuous years as a full-time career firefighter at a fire agency in the United States within 12 months prior to conditional job offer.
Deadline to submit application packet and a $35 non-refundable application fee is Friday, July 15, 2022 at 4:00 p.m. PDT
MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF
The Northern Lakes Fire District was established with the consolidation of two neighboring fire districts in 2000. We are not a department of any city or county government and are governed by a five-member Board of Fire Commissioners elected by the public to four-year terms.
Today, the District serves five communities with more than 60,000 residents. We are an all-hazards organization that provides structural and wildland fire protection, advanced life support emergency medical services, fire prevention, and public education services, to those we serve.
In 2021, District crews responded to almost 6,400 emergency calls; more than a 17% increase from 2020. While we continue to seek resourceful and innovative means to provide the best level of service to our citizens and guests, additional staffing remains a crucial need. Please rest assured that our administration will continue working hard to identify options for funding the much needed additional firefighters.
In the meantime, our dedicated firefighters will respond to emergencies in their highly proficient and professional manner, as always.
Thank you to all the citizens for their continued support as we again move forward in our crucial mission to increase staffing for emergency response. I encourage anyone with questions, comments, or concerns to please contact me.
I just ask that when you see your fire crews out in the community, please take a moment to thank them and let them know they are appreciated and valued.
ABOUT THE NORTHERN LAKES FIRE DISTRICT
Provides an all-hazards response and community risk reduction to the greater Hayden, Rathdrum, and Twin Lakes areas in Kootenai County. Northern Lakes Fire staffs two fire engines and two advanced life support (ALS) ambulances with career staff that respond to more than 6,300 emergency calls annually from two staffed stations located in the cities of Hayden and Rathdrum. These stations are staffed 24/7/365 with twelve Firefighter/EMTs. We are a career department, comprised of thirty-nine firefighters, three Chief Officers, a Fire Marshal and Deputy Fire Marshal, a Fleet Mechanic, and three administrative support staff. In addition, all of our firefighters are certified EMTs, including eighteen paramedics.
Our staff respond to structure and wildland fires, emergency medical calls with paramedic staffed ambulances, motor vehicle crashes with heavy extrication capabilities, hazardous material response, technical rescue, weather events, ice rescues, and operate two fire & rescue boats.
Our District is comprised of approximately 108 square miles of lakes, mountains, prairies and growing cities with a population of more than 60,000 residents living in a Wildland Urban Interface identified by the Federal Registry as high risk for wildfire.
Please enjoy our website for your informational needs!
INFORMATION
FIRE WIRE
The District's
Quarterly Newsletter
Link to past editions of the "Fire Wire"
PUBLIC MEETINGS
The Northern Lakes Fire District Board of Commissioners holds regularly scheduled board meetings on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month at 10:00 a.m. at Fire Station 1
located at 125 W. Hayden Ave., in Hayden unless otherwise noted.
Northern Lakes Fire Career Firefighters
Are Proudly Represented by the
International Association of Firefighters Local #4045
Click on logo for more information
The next regularly scheduled board meeting will be held
Thursday, July 14 at 10:00 a.m. at 125 W. Hayden Ave. in Hayden
Representatives of the Board of Fire Commissioners and the Northern Lakes Professional Firefighters IAFF Local #4045 will hold labor negotiations in open session available for the public to attend on Tue., July 5 at 1:00 p.m.
at 125 W. Hayden Ave. in Hayden