Hagerman Fire District levy on upcoming Gooding County primary ballots

GOODING COUNTY, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — A slew of elections are set to take place on May 17 in Idaho. In Gooding County, that includes a proposed levy for the Hagerman Fire Protection District.

The proposed levy would replace the district’s existing levy, which is set to expire on Sept. 30. This levy would be $125,000 per year for two years. The estimated annual cost to the taxpayer of $45.50 per $100,000 of taxable assessed value is the same as the current levy.

The fire district said the levy is needed to help with personnel costs for the 25-member crew of firefighters and licensed EMTs. They said the personnel support in Hagerman is vital given the town is over 20 miles away from the Gooding County EMS.

“The important part is we are usually on scene between 5 to 10 minutes from the time of page, so our patients do have somebody to take care of them in that interim time before the ambulance gets there,” said Hagerman Fire District Fire Chief Tim Peterson. “So, without our response, they would be waiting for any care at all for up to 25 minutes.”

Peterson said the majority of the funding will go towards supporting the EMS division so they can continue running medical calls in the district.