Northside Fire seeks additional volunteers

A letter to the people who live and work in the Northside Fire District. Through your support of your volunteer fire district you have secured your home and community with protection from fire and many other emergencies. Your fire department now covers more than 112 square miles which encompasses 3,465 residences and 586 businesses, with many three- and four-story buildings. It has two major highways and some very busy railways. It also encompasses the cities of Ponderay and Kootenai.

So who are the volunteers who respond to these emergencies in your fire district? They are more than20 men and women, most of whom live and work within your district. Only two of which are paid firefighters, the chief and the assistant chief, who work eight hours a day, Monday through Friday. The rest are volunteers who are not compensated for their response. They respond 24/7 year-round at all hours of the day and night. Leaving their families or the businesses in which they work. What dedication. The 2008 call volume was more than 300.

As Northside Fire District commissioners, we also are dedicated to our role of budgeting, purchasing, setting policy and the overall life safety issues of our firefighters as they respond to emergencies. As with any volunteer organization, having enough manpower to perform any emergency response safely and efficiently is always an unknown, depending on the number of responders.

Each emergency requires a different number of personnel depending on its scope of danger. Example, the NFPA recommends a certain number of men responding to a structure fire to safely perform the required duties. The same is true for responses like extrications, rope rescue, vehicle crashes, wildland fires, hazmat and so on. We feel that the first response out the door should be a minimum of two persons. We need that two man shift on duty 24/7. These firemen can respond in half the time that we volunteers can when coming from our homes or places of business half way across the county.

With the first response of the duty personnel and the support of your dedicated volunteers the people of your fire district twill surely get their moneys worth. And your fire department goes a long way in the safety and efficiency shortfalls you may have.

 Northside Fire Department is your diamond in the rough and it is time to polish it just a little bit. Your fire district still needs your support.

LEO ADDISON

LEWIS RICH

RAY YAW

Northside Fire District

commissioners