An Idaho fire department is overwhelmed and can't keep up with the increasing population and responses.
That's why the Kuna Rural Fire District is asking for a new station and additional firefighters.
They're asking the public they serve to approve a levy increase and bond when they go to the polls in November, KTVB reported.
The additions will be up for vote in the November general election through a levy increase and a bond.
With one station and 15 firefighters, they now serve 34,000 residents and cover 110 square miles. Recommendations say that communities should have one fire station for every 10,000 people.
The fire district's population, which covers some areas outside of Kuna, is projected to increase 74% in the next 10 years.
"It was a small, rural town. Everyone seemed to know each other," Fire Captain John Charlton said. "Now, there's a lot more people here, lot of traffic and a lot more calls for us."
Fire Chief TJ Lawrence told reporters: "It's crazy. We can't keep up with that pace. We haven't even been able to keep up with the pace for the past 10 years. We're definitely behind on our staffing model when it comes to providing service to this many people."
With the booming population, calls have increased 72% in the past decade. They respond to about 2,000 incidents annually. And, often have to reply on mutual aid departments.
"It's almost like a letdown to us that we can't serve our citizens the way we should be able to serve them," Kuna firefighter/paramedic Matt Graham said. "We're here to help, it's not fair to them that they have to wait 17 minutes from our neighboring departments for help. That's why it's important for this bond and levy to pass, so we can get more resources here in town and provide a better service."
