NAMPA, Idaho — Two of the Treasure Valley’s fire districts are considering merging into a single district. It would be a move their chiefs claim would help them keep pace with explosive growth and shore up their finances for the long term.
The Kuna Rural Fire District and the Nampa Fire Protection District have spent months studying consolidation, and both boards of commissioners are scheduled to vote this month on whether to move the talks forward. If they proceed, the districts will participate in community outreach and town hall meetings this summer, before a public hearing and final vote by each board would come later this fall.
The pressure is most acute in Kuna, one of the fastest-growing communities in the country. Emergency calls climb each year, and the district’s fire chief, TJ Lawrence told KTVB it does not have enough staff to keep up…