By Harllie Stevenson
The Idaho Statesman
BOISE, Idaho — The Boise Fire Department has been awarded more than $2.3 million in a FEMA grant, funding that will allow the department to hire nine new firefighters and expand four-person staffing to three additional fire stations, according to a city of Boise press release.
The money was awarded through FEMA’s Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant program. Fire departments across the nation apply for it, according to Brad Bolen, the assistant fire chief of emergency services for Boise Fire.
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“It’s extremely competitive,” Bolen said in a phone interview. “We’re very fortunate to be the one that was selected.”
Boise Fire and the city of Boise grants team applied for the grant nine months ago after they identified four-person staffing — as opposed to three-person staffing — as a long-term service needed in a city that continues to grow. The department has under 300 firefighters and Bolen said the department’s staffing needs have been challenged to meet that growth.
With four-person staffing, Bolen said, emergency response time and the ability to safely mitigate hazards will be much quicker.
City Council Member Kathy Corless, who has advocated for four-person staffing, said she was thrilled when she heard the news.
“I know what this is going to mean for our city,” Corless said in a phone interview. “Faster response times … and making it safer for our firefighters by having the extra crew.”
Corless said that three-person staffing requires firefighters to wait for additional crew before engaging in a structure fire due to OSHA standards requiring two people to remain outside. Four-person staffing will allow for two firefighters to go in while two stay out and will also allow additional firefighters to be available to drive specialized trucks, such as a water tender truck, when needed.
“It’s just a big win for public safety in Boise,” Corless said. “For the firefighters and also for the safety of the residents.”
Corless said this is an idea the city council has been pushing for two fiscal years, but the city never had the budget. In 2025, the council was on board with pursuing four-person staffing and decided to try for the FEMA grant first.
It’s a move that will not only save lives, but save taxpayers money, Corless said. The three-year grant will pay for 62% of the costs and the city of Boise’s general fund will cover the rest, which has already been included in the fiscal year 2027 budget.
After the three years, the fire department will need to absorb the cost. Bolen said the hope is that at that time, more funding will be available to continue four-person staffing.
Boise Fire has four-person staffing at Station 13 in Northwest Boise and Station 15 on Warm Springs Avenue. The department expects to identify the three stations where they will place the nine new firefighters by Oct. 9 .
Bolen said the fire department makes staffing decisions based on factors such as unit reliability, call volume and responses in a particular jurisdiction.
At the three stations, the nine firefighters will be distributed across three shifts. Each station will receive an additional firefighter on its A, B and C shifts, Bolen said.
The firefighters will be selected from Boise Fire’s current application pool and will join the department’s next recruit academy in January. The four-person staffing is expected to begin the following May.
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