‘Fire Station 5’ boat garage coming to Third Street dock

For four years, the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department has been looking for a home for its fire boat. This week, it appears to have finally found one.

The Coeur d’Alene City Council unanimously agreed Tuesday night to approve the use of up to $250,000 in impact fees to build a new fire boat garage at the Third Street Mooring Docks. The facility, affectionately dubbed “Fire Station 5,” is scheduled for construction and completion no later than Oct. 1.

The city’s fire boat has been using a county slip, but fire officials say that temporary home is no longer an option.

“Currently, we have our fire boat’s home inside the left slip at the Kootenai County’s boat house,” said Lucas Pichette, deputy fire chief, “and that is no longer going to be available to us very shortly.”

The current location also draws a yearly moorage cost of $3,287. The new facility has been projected at $220,000 to build. Pichette asked for $250,000 to cover any unexpected issues during the construction process. The fund that collects portions of impact fees related to the fire department — which includes a percentage of building permit fees after the department conducts fire code plan reviews and alarm inspections, for example — currently sits at $283,000.

Mayor Steve Widmyer praised the move.

“The new fire boat garage will provide for quicker response times,” he said. “Quicker response times allow better outcomes in emergency situations.”

The new garage is believed to give the fire department quicker response times because of its closer proximity to community hubs more likely to see emergencies.

“It doesn’t block views,” Pichette said. “It fits in really well with the surroundings, and — most importantly — it’s centered really nicely to take care of all responses to marinas, Tubbs Hill and all the surrounding emergencies we may face in that area.”