OPINION: Rethinking how we fund fire protection

We just commemorated the one-year anniversary of the catastrophic arson on Canfield Mountain.

Speakers at the memorial recalled the incident and called for better methods to safeguard firefighters. Communication between first responder agencies, and sensible firearms restrictions topped the list. The anniversary event and its outcome were both fitting and proper.

However, I believe we could provide a longer lasting memorial to our fallen first responders if we prevail on state legislators to ensure adequate funding for fire safety.

To get some perspective on this, I spoke with a Coeur d’Alene firefighter and a Kootenai County firefighter. One is a Republican, the other is a Democrat. Their explanations made a lot of sense.

Firefighting calls for rapid responses to emergency calls, but it extends well beyond putting our fires.

Firefighters rescue trapped citizens and domestic pets. They protect surrounding property and structures. Paramedics and emergency medical technicians deliver basic and advanced life support and provide prehospital transportation. Without these professionals our lives would be significantly more endangered.

Their workload has expanded over the past decade as Kootenai County has grown by 60% since 2016. One firefighter told me that today KCFR responds to some 9000 calls. In 2025 CDAFD responded to 11,328 calls. This adds up to 52 calls every day.

Property taxes fund the majority of fire protection costs. But building fire stations closer to new communities or replacing aging equipment requires a voter approved levy.

Furthermore, by law a resort city like Coeur d’Alene cannot capture revenue to cover the fire safety needs that tourists add to our community. 

One firefighter said “Essentially we have thousands of visitors but the citizens of Coeur d'Alene have to pay for the services.”

Fire safety resources become overstretched.

Firefighters see the unmet need and they step in to raise portions of the money to fund their own efforts. They, like teachers who purchase their own classroom supplies, fill in the gap that is created by legislators.

Every few years, firefighters ask for Yes votes on the bonds and tax levies to sustain the protection that we take for granted. The money raised by firefighters pays a portion of literally every firefighting expense. It replaces aging trucks and equipment, it purchases protective gear and educational training. It pays for hiring more firefighters to meet the needs of our expanding county.

One firefighter said that relying on a levy to support this basic need “makes us nervous because it could not pass, it’s never a guarantee.”

Even a levy that passes may not keep pace with the rapidly expanding needs.

That is not how it should be. 

We need legislators who prioritize protecting us rather than provide tax breaks that overwhelmingly go to the richest among us.

If we really want to support our firefighters, we must insist that our state, county and city governments fund services adequately. 

Government officials often voice their support for first responders, but they should walk the walk by budgeting for replacing fire houses, trucks and supportive equipment. Government should make developers pay for the extension of firefighting services into new communities.

Firefighting services are essential to the safety of all communities, especially those like ours that lie adjacent to open land where winds accelerate flames, and where trees and underbrush provide copious fuels.

To honor our fallen first responders, we should resolve to pressure elected representatives to adequately fund these lifesaving services.

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Evan Koch is Chair of the Kootenai County Democratic Central Committee