After 109 years, the Rupert Fire Department finally has a firehouse of its own

RUPERT, Idaho — With construction finally completed, the Rupert Fire Department has a new home! This marks the first time in the city's history that the RFD has a station specifically built for fighting fires.

"The square footage of the building is approximately 9,800 square feet of usable space," said Rupert Fire Chief Roger Davis.

WATCH: Chief Davis shows off the new home of the Rupert Fire Department

"There has always been a shared facility or one occupied by another organization. This is the first building constructed specifically for the fire department in our 109-year history," Chief Davis explained.

The new fire station comes with a price tag of $2.1 million, funded by a 50-50 split of grants and taxpayer dollars. Chief Davis mentioned that his department responds to between 500 and 600 calls each year, a number that is steadily increasing.

The new station is designed to accommodate the growth.

"With the expansion happening in Rupert and throughout all of southern Idaho, we wanted to ensure there was enough room to meet the needs of our ever-growing city," Chief Davis stated.

This means the new station includes ample space for future development.

During a tour of the new facility, Chief Davis pointed out that work on the upstairs living quarters is still ongoing, as the department is entirely volunteer-based.

“This is the unfinished portion of the building, which helps keep costs down for the citizens. This area will be completed in the future as the city continues to grow,” he said.

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When asked whether this expansion indicates a potential shift from volunteer firefighters to full-time crews, Chief Davis confirmed, "That is correct, future full-time staff— yes."

The RFD is currently in the process of transferring all equipment from the old station to the new one.

They expect to be fully operational by the end of the month.

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