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About The District -
Shoshone County Fire Protection District No. 2 (our district) is located in Western Shoshone and Eastern Kootenai Counties in Northern Idaho. Geographically, we are located along Interstate 90 approximately 70 miles East of Spokane, Washington and 130 miles West of Missoula, Montana. Our district provides Fire and EMS services to approximately 185 square miles in a mountainous region with an approximate population of 8,436 permanent citizens. The district includes the four incorporated cities of: Kellogg, Wardner, Smelterville, and Pinehurst; as well as the areas of: Big Creek, Elk Creek, Montgomery Gulch, Elizabeth Park, Pine Creek, Kingston, Enaville, Cataldo, Rose Lake, and Medimont; a vast area of outlying canyons and drainages and has a total of four fire stations. We have a staff of 8 career firefighters and 25 dedicated volunteer members district wide that are trained for both structural and wildland firefighting.
Historically underground hard rock mining and logging were the regions main industry. Our district was the home of the worlds largest producing silver mine known as the Sunshine Mine and the worlds largest lead producing mine the Bunker Hill Company, which included a lead, silver and gold smelter along with an electrolytic zinc plant. Down turns in the logging industry and silver prices has forced the closure of many mines, the smelter, and zinc plant along with lumber mills. We have changed from mining and lumber-based economy to a tourist based economy. With the opening of Silver Mountain resort that boosts the worlds longest single stage gondola to take skiers to the ski hill, the addition of a year around water park and new 18 hole professional golf course along with the reopening of some of the silver mines do to the rise in the price of silver, we are once again looking towards a bright future.
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