Stories in this Regional News Roundup are excerpted from weekly newspapers from around the region. This is part two, with part one having appeared in Saturday’s Tribune.
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McCALL, Idaho — A newly established fire department at Brundage Mountain Resort expects to be operational by the end of August, Adams County Commissioners were told Monday.
Travis Smith, who was hired earlier this year as chief of the Brundage Mountain Fire Protection Association, is training 19 Brundage employees to be firefighters.
“We’re really close,” Smith said of the timeline. “We will have people to drive fire trucks and spray water by the end of August.”
Meadows Valley Fire and EMS in New Meadows is providing fire service to the resort on an agreement set to expire Sept. 1.
The temporary service agreement was reached this spring to close a fire service gap at Brundage that began on Jan. 1 when a service agreement with McCall Fire and EMS expired and could not be renewed under state law.
Since then, the resort spent $100,000 on a 2008 fire engine and has been working to secure equipment like hoses, nozzles, fire ladders and protective gear, Smith said.
Delays in getting equipment have slowed Smith’s training efforts, but he is confident Brundage Fire will be self-sufficient by the time the agreement with MV Fire expires.
“Donnelly Fire is allowing us to do live fire training at their fire training facility, so we’re getting there,” Smith said.
Brundage employees being trained as firefighters are mostly full-time employees who work on-site and would be able to quickly respond to fire calls at the resort, Smith said.
Smith retired as deputy chief from McCall Fire in 2023. He previously served 25 years for the Pocatello Fire Department in a variety of roles, including captain and training officer.
Brundage Fire will also be responsible for responding to emergency medical calls at the resort, but Smith said that function may not be online until October or November.
The Brundage Mountain Patrol has been a state-licensed EMS agency since 2021, but is working to obtain licensing for transferring patients by ambulance, Smith said.
Mountain Patrol Director Janna Allen is serving as EMS chief. Most of the 40 members of the patrol are already certified as EMTs and will staff Brundage Fire’s EMS unit.
Brundage Fire will initially be housed in existing maintenance buildings at the resort. The agency is funded by the resort and does not receive property tax funding.
The agency is expected to receive funding from fees paid by the owners of future homes at the resort’s 388-acre base area, including some expected to be complete next year.
— Drew Dodson, The Star-News (McCall), Thursday
Residents gather to oppose turbines
PULLMAN — County residents opposed to a planned wind turbine development have created the not-for-profit “Save the Palouse” to fight on their behalf.
Rick McNanny has been named executive director of the not-for-profit group, which has been in operation for two months.
“We are not anti-wind turbine,” McNanny said, noting members just think Kamiak Butte is not an appropriate place to erect them.
The Save the Palouse website says the group has three initiatives:
• Advocate for the preservation of the Palouse’s natural landmarks
• Educate the public
• Cooperate with anyone who wants to oppose wind turbines on the Palouse
The organization recently hosted a meeting for at Schweitzer Event Center, where presenters offered reasons to oppose wind turbines. Speakers included Lincoln County residents David Boleneus and Lani Madsen; Whitman County residents Mike Dymkoski and Tom Thompson, Diana Gardner and Bill Myers; and 9th Legislative District Rep. Mary Dye of Pomeroy.
“Our group consists of 15 core members that meet almost every week,” McNanny said, adding that they meet every Thursday. “Our goal is to work in unison with local government to establish guidelines for responsible placement of wind turbines or any other structure.”
The group’s Facebook page has 1.8 thousand social media followers, as of last Tuesday.
McNanny said that the online petition has almost 2,000 signatures and over 300 hard copy signatures.
“We do have a lot of support behind us,” he said.
— Teresa Simpson, Whitman County Gazette (Colfax), Thursday
