FORT HALL — Shoshone-Bannock Tribal leaders along with Congressman Mike Simpson, Fort Hall firefighters, business partners and project members gathered on Tuesday on a stretch of Widowville Road to celebrate the groundbreaking for the upcoming Fort Hall Fire Station.
Scheduled to be completed in May 2026, the new fire station was made possible back in 2022 when Simpson announced $7 million in allocated federal funds as part of the fiscal year 2022 Omnibus Appropriations Act.
An enormous American flag affixed to one of the new Fort Hall fire trucks served as a backdrop for the ceremony, which was moderated by Shoshone-Bannock Planning Director Alonzo Coby.
Coby introduced Fort Hall Business Council Chairman Lee Juan Tyler, who detailed a bit of local and area history, before proceeding to an official welcome and dedicated prayer.
Members of the Fort Hall Business Council then addressed the audience, many speaking to the complex nature of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes and the federal government and the need to find commonality and cohesiveness between the two fixtures to accomplish projects like the new Fort Hall fire station.
Many business council members remarked on the importance of providing proper facilities to the local firefighters, who work tirelessly throughout the year to ensure the safety of not only Fort Hall but the surrounding areas, especially in times of a wildfire threat. Efforts are also currently in motion to open the doors to wage analysis, ensuring better pay, benefits and retention for Fort Hall firefighters.
Opening remarks were offered by Fort Hall Fire Chief Eric King who reflected on the six years that this project has been in development and expressed gratitude to the council and community members, contractors and architects that all helped make the vision of a new Fort Hall Fire Station a reality.
Simpson then stood as the ceremony’s dignitary speaker and addressed the crowd.
“I always feel like this is my job, to advocate for Idahoans and for Idaho tribes,” Simpson said. “I think that it’s long past time that the federal government live up to the treaty and moral obligations that it has in Indian country all across this country, so we’ve been trying to do that. We can’t do it all at once. We don’t have the resources. But Indian health services and some of the others got bumped up substantially this year and we’re going to be doing more in the coming years to make sure that we can meet those responsibilities that we have.”
Simpson continued, “It’s great to be here, but this is really for the firemen, the first responders. We can never do enough for them, whether it’s the fire station, EMS, the police and so I’m really proud to be a part of this. If you want them to be able to do their job well, they have to have the facilities and the resources to do that.”
Simpson echoed sentiments regarding the retention of firefighters who are trained in Fort Hall and keeping those qualified individuals there with competitive pay and benefits. Simpson also touched on the 6,000 murdered and missing indigenous women in the country and his desire to hold hearings and delve further into the issue.
The ceremony’s conclusion was punctuated by the honor song provided by the Spring Creek Singers before an assembly of tribal business council members, Simpson and Fort Hall Firefighters broke ground in unison.
“We have to come up with the times,” King said. “Our job is not getting any easier. Population on the reservation is getting more and more so we have to have to get new tools to better serve the community. We have to have reliable equipment, whether it be a fire truck, whether it be the gear we wear, whether it be the trainers. We have to be prepared for all of that. If we don’t take the necessary measures so that we can stay up to date on all of that, we’re not doing justice in serving the community. We have to be reliable in our training and the things that we do to better serve those in need. This is just one of those steps to better serve in that capacity for the community out here.”
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