Administrative Offices
125 W. Hayden Ave.
Hayden, ID 83835
208/772-5711
Current Burn Condition
Updated 9/7/2023
Proudly Serving the Areas of and Surrounding Hayden and Rathdrum, Idaho
INFO ON RIDGE CREEK FIRE
As of 9/8, no further updates will be made. Command has been transferred to the local Coeur d'Alene River District. For future fire information, they can be contacted at
208/664-2318.
Suppression repair is nearly complete across the fire area. Crews will continue to patrol, monitor, and work on roads and fire lines used during fire suppression activities. A Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Team will conduct work in the area to assess post-fire risks to resource values.
Into the fall season, isolated hot spots may remain and produce smoke. These are located within the northern perimeter of the fire near South Chilco Mountain which pose minimal threat to further spread but will continue to be monitored by the local district.
All fire restrictions have been lifted for the Panhandle National Forest. While campfires are no longer restricted, hunters and recreationists are urged to use caution. Never leave a campfire unattended and make sure it is cold to the touch before walking away.
Road repair will continue on 406 Road, 406M, 437, 1530 and the 625
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 45,000 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 2022, District crews responded to almost 6,400 emergency calls; almost a 90% increase from 2012. 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
Please sign up for Kootenai Alert! to receive emergency and other important notifications using the link below:
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 6,400 emergency calls annually from three engines and two ALS ambulances out of two stations 24/7/365 located in the cities of Hayden and Rathdrum. We are a career department, comprised of fifty-three firefighters, four Chief Officers, a Deputy Fire Marshal, a Fleet Mechanic, and three administrative support staff. In addition, all of our firefighters are certified EMTs, including twenty-six 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 45,000 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!
EMERGENCY ALERT
For more information on air quality, smoke and fire maps, click here
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.
Burning of yard waste (small slash piles not exceeding 5 ft. high x 5 ft. wide) and burn barrels are now open. You must obtain a no-cost burn permit through the Idaho Dept. of Lands (IDL) that are good for ten days by visiting burnpermits.idaho.gov
Permits are not required for small recreational fires. Please keep a copy of the District Burning Rules on hand when burning.
ANNOUCEMENTS
DISTRICT EMPLOYMENT
In September 2022, the Northern Lakes Fire District was awarded a $4.5 million SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) grant that will fund twelve additional firefighters for three years. This grant will allow the District to staff a third fire station in the Garwood area 24/7 sometime in 2023. Funding for the station is not included in the grant and the District will be financing the construction of the station.
For more information on the new station, staffing, and how the grant will affect response times, please read the media release below.
The District does continuous testing for entry-level Firefighter/Paramedics
and Firefighter/EMTs through
National Testing Network (NTN)
Please visit our Employment Tab
for more information on this
continuous entry level testing and eligibility pool process
PUBLIC MEETINGS
DEVELOPMENT IMPACT FEES
In 2022, the District entered into agreements with Kootenai County, the city of Hayden, and the city of Rathdrum, to collect development fire impact fees on new growth in our District.
These development impact fees were calculated based on the District's Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) adopted in May 2022
For information on the process for collection of fire district development impact fees, please follow the links below :
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
The District's next regular meeting is scheduled for
Thursday, September 28th at 10:00 a.m.
at 125 W. Hayden Ave. in Hayden
RELATED LINKS
INFORMATION
Northern Lakes Fire Career Firefighters
Are Proudly Represented by the
International Association of Firefighters Local #4045
Click on logo for more information
