SVI Media’s Dan Dockstader spoke with Alpine Fire Chief Mike Vogt regarding construction of a new fire station north of Etna in the Nordic Ranches area.

(0:00) SVI at the Alpine Fire Department now to visit with Fire Chief Mike Voigt. (0:05) Mike, we’ve got some new construction underway, kind of expanding the district, (0:09) and we say district because it’s not just about Alpine, we’re bringing in an additional facility (0:13) into house fire trucks and fire response, improve fire response team, is that correct? (0:19) It is correct, you know, because our district goes from county line into Snake River Canyon (0:27) all the way to Aetna, and so we got a large area to cover, so basically the growth north in Alpine (0:37) is going to be kind of restricted, so all the growth is basically going to be south, (0:42) so we’re trying to prepare for the future. In 2020, in 2001, the Reinhardts donated some (0:51) property to us on the Nordic subdivision.

Kind of up on top of the hill there, Nordic branches. (0:56) Yes, in agreement that we would build a fire station in the future. (1:01) The future has arrived, and we’re building a station.

(1:03) Now we’ve been looking into it, we’ve worked on it for like five years just to secure the funds, (1:11) to get the bids in, to get the project how we were going to do it, and basically you’re seeing it (1:18) parts and pieces there right now, and the construction should be starting this week. (1:22) We see the roof trusses there ready to go on a pad, and then we’ll explain again how that helps, (1:28) because we could put a couple of units there, complementing the units here in Alpine as well, (1:33) and we have some of our firefighters that actually live in that end of the district, right? (1:37) Yeah, we have the volunteers scattered throughout the district, so if we had a call in Nordic right (1:44) now, those members would have to come all the way into Alpine, get the piece of apparatus, (1:49) and drive it all the way back, and that’s at least five miles, so it just increases the response time, (1:57) so we’re just trying to be proactive and have some equipment there for a quicker response for (2:04) the members that live in that area, and they can grab that and initiate a response a lot quicker (2:10) than the travel time it would take to go back and forth. Go straight to the fire if they’re (2:14) already up there.

That area seems to be the growing part of your district as well. (2:18) Yeah, because that’s where the acreages are and the space is. (2:23) You’ve been here running the fire department for a lot of years here, and you’ve watched some growth, (2:28) and it’s a busier place every year, is that right? Yeah, it gets busier and a lot of new aspects that (2:38) we have to deal with, which brought me forth to get in the ladder truck with the bigger buildings (2:45) that have come to this area, and now there’s going to be more multifamily dwellings.

You see (2:52) the bigger building over behind Brolin’s, the two hotels. You’ve got to have the equipment (2:57) to respond to that. So you have to adjust to it, and we’ve got to stay ahead of it, (3:02) so this building we’re doing, we’ll be able to put two pieces of apparatus there and (3:08) be ahead of the growth and get things initiated before the actual need is there.

(3:14) Very good. Well, with my point, Alpine Fire Department talking about the addition in the (3:19) district there at the Nordic Ranch, you should see a new building going up. It’ll help house the (3:24) fire equipment for the Alpine Fire Department.

Mike, anything we haven’t asked you, (3:29) you would like to emphasize? I just want to make everybody aware of, (3:33) you know, we have a large area that we have to cover. It’s the fire district, and we’re (3:41) directed by an elected three-member board. So everybody in this district contributes with their (3:50) tax money, and we try to make everybody feel protected and a vital part of the district (3:57) that we were going to take care of.

Very good. My point, Alpine Fire Department. (4:01) Dan Docks at RSVI Media.