Kootenai County Fire & Rescue is a fire district organized to provide fire and emergency services to the citizens within our boundaries. Unlike a fire department - which is typically part of a city or county government - a fire district operates independently, under the direction of a locally elected board of fire commissioners. The board of fire commissioners is responsible for establishing the budget, adopting polices and for hiring the fire chief, who acts as the chief executive officer.
Fire districts act as regional providers of fire and emergency services. Unlike a city or county fire department, a fire district is an independent taxing agency which allows us to focus revenues solely on providing the best emergency services in a cost-effective manner.
Kootenai County Fire & Rescue works closely with Kootenai County Emergency Medical Services System (KCEMSS) to provide EMS service in our area. KCEMSS is a County wide Ambulance district which provides funding (from both taxes and user fees) to fire districts for manning ambulances. You will notice both the KCEMSS logo and the fire district logo on ambulances and paramedic units throughout Kootenai County.