East Side Fire adds boat

The East Side Fire District has beefed up its emergency response capability with a new fireboat.

The fire district, on the east side of Lake Coeur d’Alene, took delivery in December of a custom-built, 32-foot fireboat, with a new dock and enclosed moorage facility at N-Sid-Sen Camp and Retreat in Martin Bay.

The new fireboat is equipped with thermal imaging, sonar, radar and GPS navigation systems.

“Our on-the-water capability upgrade was an important component of our long-term strategic plan supporting the district’s vision, mission and goals,” said Fire Chief Dan Currie, in a news release.

“We are very pleased with the new boat and moorage facility and we look forward to providing the highest quality of emergency response capabilities to our district and to the broader lake community when needed. As part of our plan, these investments were funded utilizing cash reserves without an additional levy or bond.”

East Side Fire District Fireboat Captain Norb Twillman said the investment significantly upgrades the district’s emergency response capabilities on the lake and with water supply for land-based fire suppression.

The new moorage facility location was made possible by the support of Mark Boyd, camp director and the Pacific Northwest Conference of the United Church of Christ, as part of their ongoing support of the East Side community.

East Side Fire District provides fire, medical, rescue and hazmat emergency response for a 90-square-mile area along the eastern shore of Lake Coeur d’Alene from Beauty Creek to the Coeur d’Alene River. The East Side Fire District area includes more than 700 structures on the waterfront with more than 1,200 other residential structures, non-residential structures and open land with limited water supply.