By Noah Daly
The Idaho Statesman
EAGLE, Idaho — The Eagle Fire Protection District on Sept. 3 broke ground on a new station off Highway 55 and Beacon Light Road. The occasion was the culmination of five years of planning, according to officials, and will help local firefighters and federal agencies work hand in hand.
A day earlier, and with much less fanfare, the Ada County Board of Commissioners greenlit the purchase of Eagle Fire Station 2, which was built in 1996 and sits near Floating Feather Road and Old Horseshoe Bend Road in Eagle . The board approved a purchase price of $2.1 million and directed staff to begin drawing up the purchase and sale agreement and return with a finalized proposal in the coming months, according to a board spokesperson.
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The station will be converted into a new base for Ada County Paramedics.
“The new location positions us better for growth in Eagle, especially for the housing that is building out (to the north), as well as an ability to respond into downtown Eagle and the previous locations that we covered with the current station,” said John Blake, chief paramedic for Ada County Paramedics.
Ada County Paramedics operates Station No. 26 at 3101 E. State St. in Eagle and an additional 12 other stations around the county. The State Street branch will remain in operation until further notice, Blake said.
The purchase would also create housing for a new command position, which will “easily” accommodate a two-person crew and command staff, Blake said.
The timing for this is nearly perfect, according to Tyler Lewis, fire chief for the Eagle Fire Protection District.
During a groundbreaking ceremony on Sept. 3 , Lewis said the new station will be a permanent installation for both Ada County Fire and members of the U.S. Wildland Fire Service — possibly the first of its kind in the country.
“Our crews respond to some of the most challenging calls in the region, and we are constantly working to improve our skill set,” Lewis told the Idaho Statesman. “Being able to share a roof with representatives from Wildland Fire means we’ll be able to coordinate more effectively when those big calls come in.”
The changes are part of a broader effort by local agencies to keep pace with growth north of Eagle and improve emergency response in an area where suburban development increasingly meets the Foothills, Lewis said.
Lewis said the existing station no longer occupies the most useful location for the district, as its boundaries have changed through annexations. The new station will be about 2 miles to the northwest.
The new location also gives Eagle more room for equipment, including brush trucks and a dozer used to fight wildfires. The partnership also means federal wildland crews will be able to bring their equipment and experience to the same incidents.
For federal wildland crews, the station fills another gap.
Crews responding to fires in the Eagle Foothills have been coming from a facility near the Boise Airport, a representative for U.S. Wildland Fire told the Statesman. That trip can take 45 minutes to nearly an hour before heavy equipment is considered.
The new station will put those resources much closer to the wildland-urban interface, including areas near Avimor and the western portions of the district that are growing quickly, creating new concerns in the process.
At the Ada County Board of Commissioners meeting, Blake told commissioners the location of the new EMS station would improve coverage in growing areas north of Eagle while maintaining service to downtown Eagle and nearby neighborhoods.
“The new location positions us better for growth in Eagle, north of Eagle without harming or altering the response times into downtown Eagle,” Blake said.
The county also sees the property as potentially useful to Ada County Parks and Waterways, which manages the nearby Eagle Bike Park. Parks employees currently use a small shed on a hillside to store equipment. The former fire station has more space, power and parking.
The transition will not happen immediately.
Eagle Fire expects the new station to be completed in roughly nine months, while county officials are planning for a 10- to 12-month period before they take possession of the existing station. Eagle Fire has previously identified the old station as the future home of an Ada County Paramedics advanced life support ambulance.
The new fire station is expected to open in fall 2027, according to Lewis.
It will become the district’s fifth station in Eagle, in addition to a contracted station in Hidden Springs that Eagle Fire operates.
The station is one piece of a larger expansion effort. Eagle Fire is also pursuing a separate partnership with the city for a training facility, but the project has faced challenges at City Hall. Fire officials say the district needs a dedicated place to train firefighters and keep them prepared to respond to emergencies.
“We have nothing but a positive and great future for our city of Eagle and the community we serve around it,” Eagle Mayor and Fire Commissioner Brad Pike said at Thursday’s groundbreaking.
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