New firefighting hub unveiled

The new Big Canyon Fire District building at Peck has the potential of becoming a hub for firefighting agencies throughout the Clearwater River area.

The 9,600-square-foot building will be on display Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 20688 Big Canyon Road as the fire station hosts an open house. Various demonstrations will be held, including fly-ins from local helicopter companies, and a hamburger-hot dog lunch will be served.

“Not only can we have all our water trucks inside summer and winter, helicopters can come in and land,” said Pete Smith, assistant fire chief for the Big Canyon Fire District.

“Whenever there’s a major fire, our facility can be a command center for government agencies. … It’s a huge improvement. I think having this rural fire department puts us above a lot of these little departments.”

The Big Canyon Fire District, located on Big Canyon Road heading into Peck, covers parts of Lewis and Clearwater counties but is mainly situated in Nez Perce County.

For years, the volunteer department, typically made up of about 20 people, has stored its equipment in a small, 2,000-square-foot building that was not big enough to hold its truck and water carriers. Water had to be drained out of the trucks in the winter to avoid freezing. And there were few other amenities.

Randy Maas, the fire chief, said the department and the fire commissioners worked and saved for years to upgrade their headquarters and when the Obenauf Leather Products Company relocated to Grangeville, the fire department bought the building last year for $350,000.

“We paid for this building and we own it free and clear,” Smith said. “And that’s a big deal.”

Besides room to park the trucks and water carriers inside and keep it heated enough to prevent water from freezing in the winter, the building also has two bathrooms, office space and an apartment above that could be used as a residence, Smith said. The building also has internet service.

The fire station also installed a 30-foot-by-30-foot helipad out back for firefighting purposes and to allow Life Flight helicopter to land when there is a nearby emergency.

“We’ve had all volunteers who have spent a lot of time working on it,” Mass said. “It’s so much better than what we had before. It’s definitely been worth it.”

Hedberg may be contacted at khedberg@lmtribune.com.