Planners review Bonner County GIS fire-response map; fire chief warns against public release

Planners with the Bonner County Planning Commission on July 15 reviewed a GIS analysis that maps drive-time from local fire stations; Bonner County staff member Michael Bowling demonstrated a color-coded map while Northside Fire District Chief Jeff Armstrong and other fire officials cautioned the commission about the map's limitations.

The map, shown by Michael Bowling, used the county road network to estimate time-from-station drive times in six color bands (green 0–5 minutes; yellow 5–10; orange 10–15; red 15–20; purple 20–25; maroon 25–30; beyond maroon = >30 minutes). Bowling told commissioners the map currently lives on his local machine but could be placed in the county app; he said drive-time estimates generally matched Google on paved roads within about 30 seconds and were within a minute or two on gravel and mountain roads, and that private minor roads are currently modeled at a 25 mph limit, which likely underestimates travel time.

Chief Jeff Armstrong said the technical approach risked misleading policymakers and the public because “drive time is not response time.” He urged commissioners not to publish the map in its present form. “Those fire stations that you have indicated are not staffed. We also don't have equipment in some of them,” Armstrong said, adding that true response time must account for turnout time (how…