Rose Lake Approves Funding For Fire Station

After two house fires this year, Rose Lake voters on Tuesday narrowly agreed to fund their first fire station.

The 127 to 117 vote will add about 400 homes to nearby Shoshone County Fire District 2.

Fire service will start immediately, said district fire chief Dale Costa.

“We’ll go tonight, if we get a call,” he said late Tuesday.

He said he hopes to start training local volunteer firefighters within the next week or so.

“We’re off and running,” he said.

Residents have tried for years to get fire protection in the area between Cataldo and Medimont. Each time, critics shot down the proposal, arguing that the tax burden would be too high. Others, especially newcomers who hadn’t realized there was no one to call when a home burns, lobbied hard for the annexation.

Property owners within the district will pay 24 cents per $1,000 in property value, starting next year.

Costa said the district is considering using the old East Side Highway District building in Rose Lake for a fire station. Or it may build a station on a nearby vacant lot, he said.

, DataTimes