Eagle, Idaho, Breaks Ground on Fire Station to Be Shared With Federal Wildland Crews

By MES Dispatch Staff

The Briefing

• The Eagle Fire Protection District broke ground Sept. 3 on a new station off Highway 55 and Beacon Light Road, the culmination of five years of planning.
• The station is expected to be a permanent shared installation for Ada County Fire and the U.S. Wildland Fire Service, which officials say may be the first arrangement of its kind in the country.
• The Ada County Board of Commissioners separately approved a $2.1 million purchase of Eagle Fire’s existing 1996 station, which will become a new base for Ada County Paramedics.
• The new fire station is expected to open in fall 2027, becoming Eagle Fire’s fifth station in the city; the county expects to take possession of the old station 10 to 12 months from now.
• The project comes as Eagle Fire separately pursues a training facility, which has faced pushback from residents over its proposed location near a bike park.

EAGLE, Idaho — The Eagle Fire Protection District broke ground Sept. 3 on a new station off Highway 55 and Beacon Light Road, capping five years of planning for a facility officials say will let local and federal wildland firefighting crews work more closely together.

A day earlier, the Ada County Board of Commissioners approved a $2.1 million purchase of Eagle Fire Station 2, built in 1996 near Floating Feather Road and Old Horseshoe Bend Road, which will be converted into a new base for Ada County Paramedics. Board staff were directed to prepare a finalized purchase and sale agreement in the coming months.

“The new location positions us better for growth in Eagle, especially for the housing that is building out (to the north), as well as an ability to respond into downtown Eagle and the previous locations that we covered with the current station,” said John Blake, chief paramedic for Ada County Paramedics. Ada County Paramedics currently operates a station on East State Street in Eagle, which Blake said will remain in service until further notice.

Eagle Fire Chief Tyler Lewis said the new fire station will house both district crews and members of the U.S. Wildland Fire Service, calling the arrangement possibly the first of its kind nationally. “Our crews respond to some of the most challenging calls in the region, and we are constantly working to improve our skill set,” Lewis said. “Being able to share a roof with representatives from Wildland Fire means we’ll be able to coordinate more effectively when those big calls come in.” A U.S. Wildland Fire Service representative said crews responding to fires in the Eagle Foothills currently deploy from a facility near the Boise Airport, a trip that can take 45 minutes to nearly an hour before heavy equipment arrives; the new station will position that equipment closer to the growing wildland-urban interface near Avimor.

Lewis said the existing station’s location has become less useful as the district’s boundaries shifted through annexations; the new station will sit about 2 miles to the northwest and will include additional space for brush trucks and a dozer used in wildfire response. Eagle Fire expects the new station to open in fall 2027, becoming its fifth station in the city, in addition to a contracted station in Hidden Springs. County officials expect to take possession of the existing station in 10 to 12 months.

The project is part of a broader expansion effort by Eagle Fire, which is separately pursuing a training facility in partnership with the city — a proposal that has faced resident pushback over its proposed site near the Eagle Bike Park. Eagle Mayor and Fire Commissioner Brad Pike said at the groundbreaking, “We have nothing but a positive and great future for our city of Eagle and the community we serve around it.”