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Bonner County fire chief urges clearer development review, more local water storage and stronger community defensible-space outreach
Summary
Chief Armstrong described staffing gaps and response-time risks across multiple local fire districts, urged earlier fire input on development reviews, recommended community water storage and tracking of cisterns, and offered to work with county planning staff to improve coordination.
Chief Armstrong, fire chief for Selkirk Fire District and the contract chief serving Northside and the successor joint powers agreement (JPA) for Westside and Sago Fire Districts, outlined staffing shortages, response-time gaps and water-supply limits during a Bonner County “commissioner chat” on Oct. 12, 2025.
Armstrong said the JPA model has given participating districts administrative and operational flexibility but that local staffing and volunteer shortfalls remain a pressing problem. “Defensible space makes a difference,” he said, urging homeowners to remove brush and limb trees rather than clear-cut, and offering free property assessments from trained staff while warning there could be delays if demand spikes. “It’s not an enforcement thing. We’re not gonna write it up,” Armstrong said.
The chief described specific coverage concerns: the Carywood station’s potential loss of staff could push response times to roughly 16 minutes for parts…
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