August 23, 2023: Riverside High School's Oregon Fire Update Meeting
Chief Martin attended this morning's Riverside High School Oregon Fire update meeting. This picture shows those in attendance.
Major takeaways: *People are flying drones in the fire area causing concern for fire-fighting aircraft. If drones are flying we cannot fly. *Reports of people target practicing in the burnt-out fire areas causing firefighters to leave the area. Please no shooting in fire areas. [read more...]
August 23, 2023: GoFundMe Fundraiser for Klint, One of Our Active Firefighters
Klint is one of our active firefighters. They lost their home along with all of their belongings, and vehicles, from the fire that spread rapidly. He is currently away fighting a wildfire in Oregon. [read more...]
PRESS RELEASE August 22, 2023: Fire
South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue answered a 911 call on August 18th for a Fire-Smoke Only call at E Frideger Rd and N Jefferson Rd in NW Elk.at 5:17 PM.
Pend Oreille Fire District 4 and 5 responded to assist South Pend Oreille Fire Rescue, along with Spokane 4 Fire District, DNR, and the Pend Oreille County Sheriff. [read more...]
PRESS RELEASE August 19, 2023: Oregon Road Fire
Chief Brad Martin wishes to thank the SPOFR staff and volunteers for their ongoing efforts starting last night fighting the Oregon Road and neighboring fires.
Chief Martin also recommends searching "Oregon Road Fire" and Nixle for updated information on evacuations from the fire. [read more...]
PRESS RELEASE August 4, 2023: Levy Lid Lift Election Results
Chief Brad Martin wishes to thank the many SPOFR Volunteers and Staff and the public for their support in the current Levy Lid Lift Election. [read more...]
SPOFR VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT: This month’s Spotlight Volunteer of the month is Deane Nusbaum who has been with South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue since 2013. He is an EMT and Firefighter. Deane is also the SPOFR Sign Program Manager. The SPOFR Firefighters will custom make an address sign for you that will be visible at the road and may save precious minutes if ever firefighters or emergency medical services personnel need to locate your address. The signs are 6"x 24" or 6" x 36" double-sided, blue reflective aluminum with 4" white reflective numbering on one or two sides. This program can be seen on our website at SPOFR.org. [read more...]
PRESS RELEASE July 28, 2023: Fire
South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue answered a 911 call on July 27 for a brush fire on Spring Valley Road. According to Chief Brad Martin there were 50 firefighters attacking the blaze along with two Fire Boss Fighting Aircraft, one helicopter and two bulldozers.
The cause of the fire is unknown currently.
Chief Martin wishes to thank the DNR and the crews responding to this fire for their dedication.
As a reminder, Our Fire Burn rating is currently Very High which means absolutely no burning. [read more...]
PRESS RELEASE July 24, 2023: Former Fire Chief Bruce Coleman’s Obituary
Bruce E Coleman accepted the position of fire chief for district #7 in 1998. He entered the fire service with no previous experience but soon became everyone’s friend with his eagerness to help when asked. Chief Coleman continued with his normal job driving truck and manage a small fire department on the side. In 2010 he was instrumental in merging with a neighboring fire district 3 which is now known as SPOFR. During his tenure with South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue he was also a duty officer until his retirement from the fire service in 2020. His passion for the fire service inspired many to develop their skills in fire and ems field. He will be missed as Chief, friend , dad and husband.
Bruce Ernest Coleman passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, July 13, 2023. He was 77 years old. Bruce passed away surrounded by his wife and many friends that he served alongside during his 25-year stint as firefighter and Chief of Fire District 7 in Pend Oreille County, Washington. [read more...]
PRESS RELEASE July 18, 2023: SPOFR July - Call Update
South Pend Oreille Fire Chief, Brad Martin, wants to thank the public for attending our Community Meetings to discuss the reasons for a Levy Lid lift on the August 1 Ballot.
Chief Martin wants to remind the public that Pend Oreille Paramedics (POEMS) has announced their closure on December 31 of this year. POEMS is the primary advanced life support (ALS) ambulance service in the county. With their closure, the responsibility of providing that service will fall onto the Fire District. [read more...]
Chief's message for a Happy and Safe July 4th Holiday
Chief Brad Martin wishes his staff, volunteers, and the public a Happy and Safe July 4th holiday. And for the SPOFR Team working this holiday weekend, a Big Thank You for your serving with pride during this Holiday weekend. [read more...]
PRESS RELEASE June 13, 2023: Levy Lid Lift on August Ballot - Listing of Public Meetings
South Pend Oreille Fire Chief, Brad Martin, wants to thank the over 100 people who attended the community meetings last weekend. He is anxious to answer your questions on the Levy Lid Lift on the August 1 ballot at the following dates and times. [read more...]
Safe and Sober Mock Crash Exercise
South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue participated in a Safe and Sober Mock Crash training exercise at Newport High School on Friday, June 2.
Pictured is a student from the Highschool Fire Science program acting as a victim in the mock crash exercise to raise awareness of driving safe and sober. This exercise was organized by Newport High School Principal Steve Bouldin and Fire District 4 training captain Adam Cone starting last September. There were over 200 students watching the exercise while the Fire Science students participated in the exercise.
[read more...]
Levy Lid Lift on August Ballot - Listing of Public Meetings
South Pend Oreille Fire Chief, Brad Martin, wants to invite the public to Community Meetings to discuss the reasons for a Levy Lid lift on the August 1 Ballot, review any current information, and answer any questions. He wants the public to be aware of the following information: Your elected Board of Fire Commissioners have determined that in order to continue to provide and improve EMS services and fire protection to our residents, it will require a need to increase the previously voted on $1.00 to $1.25 per $1,000 of assessed property value. [read more...]
Chief Brad Martin and the Fire Commissioners of South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue are asking voters to consider increasing our regular fire levy rate previously voted on from $1.00 to $1.25 per $1,000 of assessed property value. This is called a Levy Lid Lift. The current fire levy rate has fallen to $.75 per $1,000 of assessed property value. The last time voters were asked to restore this fire levy was in 2010, 13 years ago. [read more...]
Chief Brad Martin and Station Chief Randy Miller wish to thank those attending the Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, April 8th.
A special "Thank You" to the SPOFR volunteers who helped with the pancake feed!
Pancake Feed: Join us for Breakfast with SPOFR Auxiliary on Saturday, April 8, from 7 to 11 a.m. at Station 34 (Jermain and Fertile Valley). A shuttle will be available between the fire hall and parking lot!
Enjoy Pancakes, Breakfast Burritos, Biscuits & Gravy, Hashbrowns, Bacon, Coffee, Juice, Milk, and Tea. Only $7 per person. Proceeds benefit South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue Volunteers. [read more...]
Structure Fire March 26, 2023: South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue responded to a structure fire at 9624 LeClerc Rd South on Sunday March 26th. Fire Chief Brad Martin was the first to arrive on scene and set up a Command Center. There were over 10 First Responders from SPOFR along with 4 Fire Engines and 4 Fire Tenders responding to the structure fire. [read more...]
Fire Ventilation Training: Thank you to the Washington State Fire Marshals for lending us this "Fire Vent" trailer for our recent drill . Lt Jacob Hogue led the venting exercise along with his assistant instructor Eric Resler. They insured proper safety procedures and PPE along with many practical demonstrations. [read more...]
Ice Rescue Training: Lt. Jacob Hogue of South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue led an Ice Rescue training session at the privately owned Wilderness Lake recently. The 5-hour training session was attended by SPOFR, Fire Districts 2 and 4, Kalispell Fire, and Pend Oreille Paramedics. South Pend Oreille Fire Rescue wishes to thank all the volunteers who participated in the Ice Rescue training. [read more...]
PRESS RELEASE: South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue is pleased to announce the promotion of Brad Martin, former Assistant Chief to SPOFR Fire Chief. Brad is replacing Chief Mike Nokes, who has served as SPOFR Fire Chief for the past 12 years and has accepted a position with Spokane Fire District 4. The staff and volunteers will miss Chief Nokes for his service and dedication as they welcome their new Chief. [read more...]
SPOFR / POC FIRE DISTRICT 8 MERGER: SPOFR Chief Mike Nokes said, "We welcome the members and Commissioners of Pend Oreille County Fire District 8 to the South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue Family". South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue would like to thank everyone who voted in the November 8th election. Thank you for your support in our endeavor to provide Fire and EMS service to the residents and visitors of South Pend Oreille County. The combined leadership of Fire 8 and SPOFR feels this merger will bring many benefits including: eliminating redundancy, pooling of resources and manpower, while enhancing our responses to emergences just to name a few. We look forward to continuing to serve the area of Pend Oreille County Fire District 8, under the umbrella of South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue effective January 1, 2023.
Rick O'Brien
Public Information Officer
SPOFR