Kootenai County to consider coroner's office expansion

COEUR d’ALENE — Kootenai County commissioners may consider impact fees to fund an expansion of the coroner’s facilities.

Last week, Coroner Duke Johnson presented commissioners with a proposal for a “garage facility” close to the existing coroner’s office in Dalton Gardens, which could accommodate between 80 and 100 bodies. The facility would cost between $150,000 and $300,000, Johnson said, depending on the amenities.

Though the coroner’s office has the means to handle the typical deaths that occur in Kootenai County, Johnson said there’s a “woeful need” for larger facilities in case of a large-scale event.

“I understand people don’t like to talk about death,” Johnson said. “I’m in a tough position here because no one wants to think about it. But I’ve been cast in that position of being responsible if something like that were to occur.”

Last year, the county obtained a refrigerated morgue trailer intended for “mass fatalities,” defined as more than five deaths in a 24-hour period or resulting from a sole incident. The trailer is shared with Benewah and Bonner counties.

“We have no coolers right now,” Commissioner Leslie Duncan said. “We do have a trailer.”

“But we don’t have a 220 to plug it in,” Johnson said.

This leaves the county largely dependent on the cooling facilities of a single local funeral home.

“We used to have three funeral homes work with us in town,” Duncan said. “Now we have one. Even if you had six people, we may not be able to do that.”

Spokane County has reportedly agreed to accept up to five bodies from Kootenai County if needed.

Even so, Johnson said a bus crash or boat sinking could quickly overwhelm the county’s facilities. He pointed to the 2020 plane crash that killed eight people over Lake Coeur d’Alene as an example of a mass casualty event.

“That exceeded our capacity,” he said.

Johnson said the garage facility would also be useful in the event of a high-profile death.

“If somebody famous passed away, the paparazzi are very aggressive, and we don’t have the facilities to protect from an onslaught of publicity,” he said. “A garage facility would do that.”

Commissioners directed Johnson to work with the county’s consultant to consider a plan for impact fees.