EAGLE, Idaho — Eagle Fire and U.S. Wildland Fire Service crews broke ground on a joint fire station off Highway 55 and Beacon Light Road Thursday morning at a ceremony attended by state and local officials, community members, and fire leaders. The project has been approximately five years in the making.
"This is the first one with the US Wildland Fire Service that we know of. And so we're super excited to partner with them and bring those resources to Eagle," Lewis said.
Lewis said the station is more than just a building.
"The firefighters that will live in this building will spend 1/3 of their life cooking meals, building relationships, and unfortunately responding to some of the worst calls in our community," Lewis said.
He said the station's location off Beacon Light Road carries a symbolic meaning — Beacon Light Road got its name from a historic aircraft beacon that once guided pilots leaving the Boise area toward the Pacific Northwest.
"Our hope is that this station turns into that beacon for the community that they know that there's firefighters here 24/7, 365 ready to respond," Lewis said.
The project grew out of a need to relocate Eagle Fire's Station 2 off Old Horseshoe Bend Road, which was built in 1996. As annexations shifted the district's boundaries, the existing station ended up on the edge of the district rather than at its center. Lewis said the district also needed more space to house additional equipment that has grown alongside the community.
"As the community's grown, we have additional resources with our dozer and brush trucks that we need to be able to house to be able to respond efficiently," Lewis said.
For the U.S. Wildland Fire Service, the new station also solves a problem that has been building for years. Unit One Chief Marty Adell said the agency lost its previous facility in the area and has been without a local home base for some time.
"Not only are we getting a station where we can, really just jump into and have a wonderful partnership with Eagle Fire, but now we have a home," Adell said.
Adell said the location puts federal wildland resources right on the edge of the wildland-urban interface — closer to Avimor, Emmett, and the western portion of the district — at a time when population growth is making that proximity increasingly critical.
Before the new station is built, federal wildland resources responding to fires in the Eagle foothills have been coming from near the Boise Airport — a drive that can take 45 minutes to nearly an hour, and even longer when heavy equipment is involved.
"If we had a fire out here that was protecting federal and private land, would it be normally coming out of the airport?" Lewis said.
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"It's significant, and when you're moving heavy equipment it takes probably even longer," Lewis said.
Adell said the time saved will be significant.
"We have very heavy, very large engines. We're dragging dozers on flatbeds, and to try to get those individuals, that equipment across town will take us anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes to get on our further, further calls; this cuts it down tremendously," Adell said.
"Fires in this area are predominantly light, flashy fuels. The grasses, brush are very quick to ignite, very quick to spread. Every minute counts. This just cuts that down tremendously," Adell said.
Adell said the partnership with Eagle Fire creates a force multiplier on the fireground.
"Eagle being one of them, it has brush equipment, has a dozer. And we work hand in hand. That just is a force multiplier. When we get on the scene, we know they have the experience. They've got the equipment, and they've got the working knowledge to take care of the incident. And now we've just got a larger force to take care of those quick-moving fires," Adell said.
Adell said the new station will also benefit U.S. Wildland Fire Service personnel who live in the area by shortening their commute to their assigned resources.
Adell said the project would not have been possible without the support of the surrounding community and local government.
"It is a burden to get this here, but once it's here, it's that much better. So I really appreciate the folks that live here, the people in Eagle, the city council, and everybody involved in this operation," Adell said.
Eagle Mayor and Fire Commissioner Brad Pike said the collaboration between Eagle Fire and federal wildland crews is rare and significant.
"In my 25 years in the fire service, I don't think I ever collaborated. Our department never collaborated with anybody unless we had an annexation coming in," Pike said.
Pike said the dedication of the firefighters involved stands out to him most.
"These people are dedicated, and I'm really- that's the thing that stands out most to me," Pike said.
"We have nothing but a positive and great future for our city of Eagle and the community we serve around it," Pike said.
A representative from the Idaho Department of Land Resources said the project has been in the works for more than 20 years at the federal level.
"Our team of engineers and folks in contracting have been working on a solution for our fire crews with the Wildland Fire Service, formerly BLM, for over 20 years," the representative said.
"I'm just really excited to see this next step, and I can't wait for the building to be open and for us to continue to work on those partnerships and provide some really timely response and protect those public lands and urban interface," the representative said.
Governor Brad Little was also credited at the ceremony for his involvement in supporting the state-federal partnership. Idaho House Speaker Mike Moyle and Senator Gro were also recognized for their focus on fire funding, including additional legislative funding directed to the Department of Lands.
Lewis said the new station will bring Eagle Fire's total to five stations in Eagle, plus one contracted station in Hidden Springs that the Eagle Fire District operates and runs.
Lewis said the new joint station is just one part of Eagle Fire's long-term plans. A separate training facility partnership with the City of Eagle is working through the approval process, with hearings expected soon.
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"Regardless, that's the next biggest thing that the Eagle Fire District needs is we've got to find a place that we can train our firefighters and keep them proficient in what they're doing and... so they can respond well to the community and be prepared," Lewis said.
Lewis said the groundbreaking turnout reflected what makes Eagle special.
"That's the best part about working here is that... tight-knit community in Eagle," Lewis said.
He said the project also reflects the district's commitment to responsible use of taxpayer dollars.
"See how we're trying to do it responsibly with taxpayer dollars, and try to partner with other partners to make sure we're not duplicating services, and having them all over the place," Lewis said.
While a sign at the site advertised a spring 2027 opening, Lewis said the more realistic target is fall 2027.
