FORT HALL — After years of cramped quarters and engines parked outside in the cold, the Fort Hall Fire Department has a new home.

The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes formally opened the $13 million, 25,699-square-foot Fort Hall Fire Station on July 9, capping a project that broke ground in September 2024.

The 1 p.m. ceremony at 70 Widowville Road, directly across from the department’s former station, drew tribal leaders, U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson and community members to mark the milestone.

The old station had long outgrown the department. Engines and equipment sat split across multiple buildings, and one truck had to stay outside year-round for lack of space. In winter, that meant a delay before the truck could respond, since water in its tank risked freezing solid before a call ever came in.

The new station fixes that. Six apparatus bays now hold the department’s full fleet — two fire engines, four brush trucks, three water tenders, a ladder truck and three ambulances — along with expanded office space, a modern training room and living quarters for the department’s 18 line personnel and four administrative staff. The Fort Hall Fire and EMS District covers 544,000 acres of the reservation, all handled out of this single station.

Rather than a ribbon-cutting, the celebration featured two fire service traditions: a Fire Hose Disconnect Ceremony, symbolizing the move from the old station to the new, and a Push-In Truck Ceremony, marking the department’s engine entering its new home for the first time. An open house followed, giving the public a chance to tour the building and meet FHFD staff.

Fort Hall Business Council Chairwoman Donna Thompson called the station proof of a broader commitment to the community.

“The new fire station reflects the Tribes’ continued commitment to protecting the health, safety and well-being of the community while investing in essential public safety infrastructure for future generations,” Thompson said.

FHFD Fire Chief Eric King said the building gives his crews what they’ve needed for years.

“The new station provides firefighters with the space, equipment and resources needed to better serve the community, train effectively and respond quickly whenever emergencies arise,” King said.

Simpson, who secured $7 million in federal funding for the project, said the case for a new station became obvious the moment department members showed him the old building’s workarounds.

“That’s crazy. So we went to work, and I was able to secure $7 million to help get this started,” Simpson said.

Simpson, who grew up near the reservation and worked on nearby farms as a young man, said the finished building exceeded what he’d expected.

“This is a beautiful building, and it’s going to serve the community well for a number of years,” he said. “With these apparatus bays, ample workspace and updated communications, this station will dramatically improve response capabilities across the entire reservation.”

Miss Shoshone-Bannock LX 2025-2026 Myke M. Moore also addressed the crowd, thanking those who worked to bring the project to completion.

“This is a big part of the community, and we’ve been looking forward to this,” Moore said. “I want to thank everyone that contributed to this, as well as the firefighters.”

JHS Architects designed the station, and CM Company built it, funded through a combination of tribal and federal support.