Life at Station 2 in Coeur d'Alene comes with challenges

Of his 22 years with the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department, Capt. Jeff Fletcher has spent 19 of them at Fire Station No. 2. 

Like a loyal friend, it’s been there through thick and thin, keeping firefighters warm and dry and providing a home base to respond to calls. 

But over the years, time has taken a toll on the structure built in 1992. The roof leaks. Mold is a problem. Diesel fumes settle on firefighter gear in the bay that houses Engine 2 and Medic 32. 

And there’s limited space, whether writing reports, making meals, meeting in the day room or sleeping in the dorm-style room upstairs. 

Combine that with the fact that Station No. 2 on Ramsey Road is the department’s busiest, responding to 35% of emergency calls, and Fletcher knows change is needed. 

“We're doing everything we can with the situation that we’re in, but it’s high time it gets improved,” Fletcher said. 

A remodel or an entire rebuild is long overdue “so the guys have the ability to do their best job."

“We need it to be operationally effective,” Fletcher said. “I want these guys to have long, healthy careers and good retirements.” 

As the captain, he has a room with a small bed, desk and doorway sealed up to stop toxic fumes that used to seep in from the bay area. Water stains decorate the ceiling. 

Fletcher said he feels a “generational responsibility” to the younger firefighters. 

“There’s a lot of opportunity to improve the scenario for them,” he said. “What can us older guys do to make sure these younger guys are set up?”

That's why letting the community know about the $16.4 million general obligation bond and how the funds will be used is important to Fletcher and others. 

The 10-year bond will go to voters May 20. The cost to property owners is estimated at $16.07 per $100,000 of taxable assessed property value per year. 

The Coeur d’Alene Fire Department needs to replace eight aging fire trucks and other fleet vehicles at an estimated cost of $10 million. 

Funds will also go to remodel or expand two stations and perhaps rebuild Station No. 2, which is more than 30 years old and has not been updated. 

The estimated cost to rebuild Station No. 2 is $6 million. 

Originally designed for two firefighters, it now houses five per shift, and as busy as it is, at least one more firefighter is needed. 

Fletcher said when Station No. 2 was built, it was on the outskirts of town. Now, it has a city growing around it. 

“It’s getting busier and busier,” Fletcher said. 

A rebuild would include a design that accommodates a battalion chief and a six-person crew, expanded apparatus bays to house modern emergency vehicles, safety enhancements to include a mass decontamination area and a clear separation between living quarters and equipment storage. 

“Firefighters returning from emergency calls need proper decontamination areas to clean their gear and reduce exposure to hazardous materials, but the current design does not provide this critical function,” according to the department’s website dedicated to bond information. 

It would also provide additional space for writing reports, which has become a bigger part of the job. It would create private sleeping quarters, as firefighters work 48-hour shifts, and a larger meeting room, which is important as Station No. 2 is home to the training facilities.  

“This being the training hub, we need a much bigger classroom,” said Fire Chief Tom Greif. 

In the past, Coeur d’Alene residents have supported general obligation bonds, which need a super majority to pass. 

The city's first public safety general obligation bond for $7 million in 2005 received 74% approval.    

In 2015, 85% of Coeur d’Alene voters supported a $6 million, 10-year public safety bond.

A survey in February indicated the community would support another bond. 

Two open houses are scheduled, April 9 and April 23. Both are at 6 p.m. at Station No. 2 on Ramsey Road.  

Greif said he is comfortable knowing the bond’s fate is in the hands of the citizens. 

“It’s an investment,” he said. “They invest in the decision.” 

    Engineer Brian Judge, front, and firefighter Cory Miles at work in Fire Station 2.
  

    Members of the Coeur d'Alene Fire Department stand in front of Fire Station No. 2. From left, Jeff sells, deputy chief; Brian Judge, engineer; Bill Deruyter, deputy chief; Craig Etherton, fire inspector; Jeff Fletcher, captain; Tom Greif, chief, and Cory Miles, firefighter.