Two Blazes Spark Debate Over Protection Talk Renews About Merits Of Joining Fire District

Back-to-back house fires here last week forced shop owner Steve Mullen to adopt a plan.

Knowing firefighters don’t come to this rural area, what would he do if his Rose Lake General Store ever burst into flames?

“I’d high-tail it for the hot dogs, grab a case of beer, run that-a-way and watch,” Mullen said Saturday. “What else can I do?”

Mullen is among an unknown number of people in this area south of Interstate 90 near Kootenai County’s eastern rim who have lived for decades without fire protection.

Recent fires, however, sparked renewed interest in getting that protection. With luck and enough interest, it could be available within the year.

“It’s kind of been like a slap in the face,” said resident Stacey Smith. “Everybody’s talking about it now.”

On Friday, Gailyn Wood’s home on Lane Road off Highway 3 burned to the ground. Firefighters from the Department of Lands showed up with a water truck, but did not attempt to stop the fire, neighbors said.

Investigators have not released the cause of the fire.

Fire last Sunday destroyed Kurt DeHart’s home near Bull Run Lake. The flames burned for nearly three hours, DeHart said, enough time to save something - had there been any firefighters.

“We’re going to do something out here,” DeHart said, from a rental home 1,000 feet from the burned structure. “Hold a public meeting, let people know … something.”

His promise of action may be just what’s needed.

Last summer, resident Kathleen Washburn and her husband collected signatures door-to-door on a petition to be annexed into the nearby Shoshone County Fire District No. 2. Residents were interested, enthusiastic even, but nothing happened, she said.

“We’re waiting for them (the fire district) to set a date for an election,” she said.

“I’ve been waiting for them to set some boundaries, tell me where they want it to go,” said District Fire Chief Dale Costa.

Instead of just giving the petition to the district, residents must now present it to Kootenai officials and ask for an election.

Start-up cost is about $100,000, Costa said. Cost per home would depend on how many homes want to be included.

The debate over fire protection has waged here for a decade, he said.

Some residents fear the added tax. Others argue that home fire insurance - which some say is as high as $100 a month in this area - would drop accordingly.

While interest appears more universal now, Costa said he’s not willing to act on his own.

“I’m going to move very carefully,” he said. “Last time I pushed for this battle lines got drawn and I’m not getting into a battle again.”