Sharing resources to protect the community

Since 1991, Bonneville County Fire Protection District No. 1 and the city of Idaho Falls Fire Department have been combining resources and assets to better serve the locals.

“Normally Bonneville County Fire District maintains their fire protection under their taxing district, but with this service agreement it allows the county residents to gain all the assets of the Idaho Falls Fire Department to help fight any fires in their district,” says Duane Nelson, interim chief for the Idaho Falls Fire Department

Response times are averaging seven minutes. Ideal response times are three to five minutes. However, according to Nelson, if the two did not work together response times would increase as well as insurance costs.

“Having this agreement means more personnel, more apparatus, larger amounts of water more timely responses; all of those things combined with added layers of training. There are many things that go into insurance ratings, but together we offset those insurance ratings much better,” says Nelson.