County unveils new EMS headquarters

SANDPOINT — After years of planning, development, and construction, Bonner County Emergency Medical Services has a new home. 

On Friday morning, EMS staff, county officials, and members of the public gathered to celebrate the official opening of 1314 Ontario St. — a two-story building that will house several departments and serve as the primary base of operation for emergency responders in Bonner County. 

“We’ve basically finished,” Spencer Ferguson, staff engineer in the Solid Waste Department, said of the building’s readiness. “We’re just wrapping up some small things now.” 

Contractors broke ground on the site in July 2023 by removing a parking lot that used to be on the property. 

A year later, the new building is slated to house the living quarters and administrative center for Bonner County EMS, along with the county’s information technology, human resources, solid waste, emergency management, and veteran services departments. 

The facility includes an internal bay for ambulances and unused office space for expansion in the future. 

“This was sorely needed — for the EMS department particularly,” Ferguson said.

In the past, Bonner County EMS has operated three satellite response stations in Ponderay, Sagle, and Priest River and a primary headquarters at 521 N. Third Ave. in Sandpoint. 

That existing Sandpoint station is a former hotel and has been leased by the county for EMS use. 

According to a Facebook post by Bonner County EMS, administrative staff have begun to move to the new building and crews of responders will begin to migrate Monday, Sept. 9. 

With modern infrastructure and room for growth, the 1314 Ontario St. building will help Bonner County serve its residents for decades to come. 

“Hopefully it’s something the county can use in perpetuity,” Ferguson said. “It should be a great asset to the county for a long time.”