Fire education gets a new home

A new smoke house for fire education is headed to the area.

The Kootenai County Fire Prevention Cooperative, which consists of 13 fire agencies and serves roughly 145,000 people, has been awarded a $47,079 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to replace its previous 16-year-old house.

Shane O'Shea, the co-op's president, said the group hopes to purchase a new house this summer and have it ready for the North Idaho Fair in August, which is where it gets the most exposure.

"The new house will be a lot more user friendly and people won't have to bend down," O'Shea said. "It will have bells and whistles to get the kids' attention."

The house teaches fire safety lessons, including kitchen safety, calling 911 during emergencies, the importance of home escape plans, responding to smoke detectors and crawling low under smoke.

The unit will include a door that heats up so kids and adults can learn how hot a door with its room on fire can get, smoke detectors for the hearing impaired, audio/video capabilities and 911 features either from inside or outside the house.

It will also be compliant with the American with Disabilities Act, unlike the previous structure.

O'Shea said a single-story structure will likely be purchased, but it will still have a ladder outside a bedroom window.

"Climbing down a ladder is such an integral learning tool and instills confidence," he said.

Many of the features will be remote-controlled, so two firefighters should be able to man the house whereas three or four had to before.

The house will accommodate more visitors - about 15 at a time.

With heating and air conditioning, the house will also be available for an extended season, allowing the co-op to reach more residents.

O'Shea said the grant will cover most of the cost for the structure, plus delivery.

"We may have to seek some sponsorships if we have some of the nicer amenities," he said.

In addition to being used at the fair, the house is at open houses, safety fairs, public events, schools, city picnics and scouting jamborees.

The old house, built by a group of contractors on a used trailer frame, was taken out of service and auctioned off after it became a safety and transportation concern due to the wear and tear.