One agency, the Blaine County Fire Protection District, will now oversee fire and emergency response operations in South Blaine County and Ketchum.
Pete Schwartz is board chair of the Ketchum Fire District Board of Commissioners. He says the consolidation of the Ketchum Fire and Blaine County South Fire Protection Districts will increase efficiency of emergency response by breaking down common barriers.
"We're able to have crews dispatched simultaneously instead of operating under mutual aid requests and crews in the field that arrive on scene and then figure out they need more help, so they have to page for additional responses for that," said Schwartz.
Schwartz says combining fire districts has been discussed around the valley for decades. The merger was officially introduced in a 2024 ballot measure, which was approved by 71% of voters.
Residents of Hailey will vote on a similar measure to join this new district in November.
He says the county has spoken with officials across the state who hope to follow in Ketchum’s footsteps.
"Hopefully we've set up a good working model of how other agencies can consolidate," said Shwartz.
In the Treasure Valley, Nampa Fire District and Kuna Fire District are also working toward merging.
