Idaho EMS Agency Celebrates New Home

After years spent using rented facilities, Idaho’s Bonner County EMS (BECMS) has a home of its own. On Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, EMS agency staff and local officials joined with the public to open a new two-story headquarters at 521 South Division Street in Sandpoint, Idaho.

Founded in 2004, BCEMS has approximately 50 full and part-time employees and five ambulances. It’s an advanced life support station-based system that provides ALS service to all of Bonner County.

“We currently operate out of five stations and average around 5000 calls per year,” said BCEMS Chief Jeff Lindsey.

For Bonner County EMS, moving into its new headquarters—which it partially owns—ends a years-old quest for a permanent administrative home. “Our previous location (which had once been a hotel) was old, outdated, and no longer met our needs,” Lindsey said. “However, we were still spending over $7,000 per month in rent payments. This move will now free up these funds—around $84,000 a year—to be used on other EMS needs.”

According to the Bonner County Daily Bee, which covered the opening ceremony, “the new building is slated to house the living quarters and administrative center for Bonner County EMS, along with the county’s information technology, human resources, solid waste, emergency management, and veteran services departments. The facility includes an internal bay for ambulances and unused office space for expansion in the future.”

According to Lindsey, the total cost of the project was $7 million on a site that was previously a parking lot. Work on the project began in July 2023.

“BCEMS utilizes a third of the building so our cost was around $2.3 million. It’s a modern design on the exterior with lots of beautiful touches on the interior as well,” he said. “Our new headquarters has all-glass bay doors for natural light, LED smart lighting throughout for lower energy costs, expanded office space for future administrative growth, drive-through bays for safety, proximity card doors locks throughout the facility, a house radio system with speakers throughout the facility, a generator to run facility at full power, and a ‘quiet room’ for crews to write reports or study. There is plenty of bay space for ambulances and equipment. “

For Lindsey and the 50 members of the BCEMS, moving out of a former hotel in a purpose-built $2.3 million EMS headquarters symbolizes Bonner County’s willingness to ‘put its money where its mouth is’ when it comes to providing residents with emergency services.

“Investing in the future of our county EMS system is vitally important to maintaining high quality prehospital care,” Lindsey said. “By moving us from a rented building into a beautiful new EMS-owned facility that is permanent, I believe this solidifies the commitment by the county into the future of EMS. And, so far the staff have been getting used to being in such a nice modern station! I’ve had several employees express gratitude for being able to have such a nice facility to call home.”