Fire department warns of higher‑than‑average wildfire risk; burn permits required May 10

Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Sells told the Coeur d'Alene City Council on May 6 that regional weather and snowpack forecasts point to a higher‑than‑average wildland fire season ahead, and he outlined the city’s preparedness steps and community resources.

Sells said the region is in drought and has below‑average snowpack, and that multiple forecasting resources show an elevated risk of fire activity. He told council the city uses specific, localized weather reports to make operational decisions such as increasing staffing during red‑flag warnings and determining whether the city can send resources to assist neighboring jurisdictions.

Sells described every area of the city as falling within the wildland‑urban interface (WUI) and urged property owners to adopt fire‑resistant building exteriors, maintain defensible landscapes, and comply with burn restrictions. He said burn permits will be required starting May 10 and are available free through the Idaho Department of Lands; the permit requires the applicant to acknowledge burn rules so the city can require noncompliant fires to be extinguished.

The deputy chief reviewed mitigation partnerships: the county’s FireSmart program (administered by Inland Forest Management) funds fuel‑break projects; Kootenai County Fire Chiefs coordinate a pre‑determined wildland task force plan for deployments; and the Idaho Department of Lands has formal agreements with the city that allow access to air and additional ground resources during WUI incidents. Sells also referenced the Idaho Cooperative Mobilization Agreement (ICMA) that documents statewide resource lists, costs and reimbursement procedures for large incidents.

Sells noted the public can sign up for Alert Kootenai for emergency notifications and described optional apps such as PulsePoint and WatchDuty that can provide notifications about medical events or local wildfires. He also explained Avista Utilities’ public safety power shutoff (PSPS) program, which allows the utility to de‑energize lines when conditions indicate a high fire risk or to aid firefighting operations.

Councilmembers asked about public outreach; Sells said the department hosts targeted community meetings (he planned to speak with the Tubbs Hill group) and that staff will perform property visits on request to advise on defensible‑space landscaping and preparedness checklists. He and staff urged residents to have evacuation plans and to keep curtains and porch furniture secured if evacuating.

Why it matters: the city’s wildfire messaging sets public expectations for seasonal restrictions, clarifies where residents can get official information, and identifies partnerships and funding sources for mitigation projects that protect neighborhoods and firefighting operations.