Author: Hauser Lake FPD

Fire protection district in Hauser, Idaho.

Your Amazon shopping can support the HLVFD!

Do you shop on Amazon? Did you know that a significant portion of your orders through Amazon can be donated to the Hauser Lake Fire Auxiliary, donations to which support the Hauser Lake Volunteer Fire Department and, therefore, the Hauser Lake community?

When you shop for Father’s Day (or anything else), instead of going to amazon.com, simply start at smile.amazon.com/ch/82-0473450, and AmazonSmile will donate to Hauser Lake Fire Auxiliary!

Click the image above to start shopping at Amazon AND support the Hauser Lake Volunteer Fire Department and Auxiliary in Hauser, Idaho.

Historic engine E720

May 17, 2021

The old-but-new-again Engine 720, which was owned several decades ago by the Hauser Lake Volunteer Fire Department, is back home again after the buyers/restorers became donors. The engine was donated back to the HLVFD this year by Marc and Marguerite Kaufman of California.

The engine’s journey home was made possible by volunteer Jody Mask and his cousin, who experienced some traffic problems on their way due to the eye-catching load they were hauling from California to Idaho!

Click any photo below to view it and flip through all of them. Photos courtesy of Jody Mask.

For all photos, see https://photos.app.goo.gl/UwAhBfhAeRsjqeJg6

E720 returns to Hauser 4-17-21

April 20, 2021

Drivers in Hauser Lake did a few double-takes this weekend when passing by the fire station. Many stopped to take photos as a piece of Hauser history was returned to our community, thanks to donors Marc and Marguerite Kauffman of California.

This historic engine, “E720,” was the first apparatus our current fire chief, James Neils, drove as a volunteer back in the 1990s. According to the few records found so far, it is a 1953 American LaFrance engine which was in service in Hauser Lake and fighting fires from 1974 to 1994. In approximately 1995, it was sold to the Kauffmans. Marc restored most of the mechanical portions of the truck over the twenty-five or so years he had it. This year, the Kauffmans donated the truck BACK to us!

Several volunteer firefighters and their families helped transport the engine from California to Hauser Lake last week. Watch for more news in the coming weeks. For now, it’s home again in Hauser and safely tucked away inside a back bay of the station. ~JR

E720 returns to Hauser Lake 4-17-2021
E720 donors Marc and Marguerite Kauffman of California

Breakfast with Santa Cancelled in 2020

It is with heavy hearts and deep disappointment that we must announce Shalena’s Breakfast with Santa has been cancelled for 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns.

It was scheduled for December 13, 2020, but will not take place because of the pandemic. On the bright side, anyone wishing to donate anyway may do so!

Proceeds will benefit Kootenai County Hospital Pediatrics instead of a specific family.

Checks can be made payable to Hauser Lake Volunteer Firefighters’ Association (or HLVFA). Please mail them to or drop them off at the Hauser Lake Fire Station, 10728 N Hauser Lake Rd, Hauser, ID 83854.

We sincerely hope to resume next year. Stay well. ~ JR

Last updated November 2, 2020

Burn Permits and Restrictions

Questions and answers about fires and burning in Hauser Lake.

By Chief Simms

When do I need a burning permit?

Permits for burning are required during the Idaho Closed Burning Season which is usually from May 10 through October 20. Recreational fires do not require a permit but can be no larger than 3 feet in diameter and no more than 2 foot high in fuel. Outside of that time frame, as long as there is not a Burn Ban in effect, no permit is needed. Please note that the State of Idaho sometimes does extend the permit season beyond those dates, so this can change from time to time.

Where can I get a permit?

Permits, when required, for hand stacked yard waste may be obtained online or at the fire station.

This the ‘self service’ online burn permit (and renewal) available as long as burning is allowed, for free, through the IDOL: burnpermits.idaho.gov

It is important that the permit holder has a permit in possession when they are burning. If you have trouble with the link, you can also still fill out a paper form, found in the white cabinet in the front of the Hauser Lake Fire Station.

All other types of permits (slash, machine stacked slash, etc.) need to be obtained from the Idaho Department of Lands, 3258 West Industrial Loop, Coeur d’Alene.

What if no one is at the fire station to issue a permit?

Please fill out the form in the white box/cabinet at the front of the fire station. Fill out two copies, one to take with you and one to leave in the box. You can also use the online link shown above to obtain a permit.

What does a permit cost?

Permits in the Hauser Lake Fire District are issued at no cost.

Will the fire department still come out if I am burning with a permit?

Even if you have a permit the fire department may still respond if called. If there is a complaint due to smoke from your fire we may have to extinguish the fire even if you have a permit.

When is burning banned?

When weather conditions dictate burning may be banned, which means no open flames of any kind. Watch for Burn Ban signs as you drive into the area for a ban notice.

Are there any other restrictions?

Yes!

  • The only items you can burn are wood and paper products;
  • you must call the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality at 800-633-6247 or visit their website;
  • you must have shovel and water on hand;
  • and you must be the property owner.

Page last updated October 5, 2020.

Chief Larry Simms’ Retirement Ceremony

On September 20, 2020, we celebrated the career of Larry Simms. He retired after 34 years of service to the Hauser Lake community and surrounding area.

A video of the ceremony, taken by Joan Rodman, has been posted on the District’s public Facebook page here (a new window should open). The video includes several very moving moments, including Chief Simms thanking his wife Elaine (also a 30+-year volunteer), shaking hands with the fire fighters, and listening to the final sign off from Captain Mobbs which was broadcast over the Kootenai County emergency dispatch system.

A few photos of the event are below. For more, please see our public Facebook page (@HauserLakeFire). You can also try this link: https://www.facebook.com/HauserLakeFire/photos/pcb.3523762351002251/3523761441002342/?type=3&theater

Posted September 20, 2020

Hauser Lake Fire Chief Transition in the News

The following article appeared in the Coeur d’Alene Press on Friday, August 14, 2020. We are grateful to reporter Madison Hardy for attending our ceremony and covering this noteworthy event in Hauser Lake history.

Coeur d'Alene Press logo

Coeur d’Alene Press

By Madison Hardy, Staff Writer

Click here to open the PDF file of page 1 and here for page 2.

Published September 21, 2020

Press Release: Chief Simms to Retire

September 14, 2020

Hauser, Idaho — Fire Chief Larry Simms, Jr. will this month retire from the Hauser Lake Fire Protection District. Chief Simms has served Hauser and Kootenai County as a Firefighter/EMT for 34 years. He joined the Hauser Lake Fire Department as a Volunteer in 1986 and quickly rose to the rank of Lieutenant Engineer. He continued to serve as a volunteer Firefighter/EMT for 13 more years. In 1999, the Hauser Lake Fire Commissioners hired Larry, as their first paid Fire Chief.

Larry has served the department and community with honor and distinction. He has been a member of the North Idaho Fire Chiefs, the Kootenai Fire Chiefs, and the Idaho Fire Chiefs and has held numerous officers’ positions within each organization. Chief Simms was at the forefront of coordinating the cooperative efforts of neighboring fire departments to create what we now call “Mutual Aid Assistance.” An accomplished writer, he was instrumental in the department and Kootenai County Emergency Medical Services Systems in receiving State and Federal grants in excess of 1.5 million dollars. 

Chief Simms’ service to our community will be recognized during a public Retirement Celebration and Open House on September 20, 2020 at the Hauser Lake Fire Station. The event will be held from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, with a formal ceremony at 2:00. The Hauser Lake Fire Station is located at 10728 N Hauser Lake Road in Hauser, Idaho. Panhandle Health District’s health and safety guidelines will be followed and the event is subject to change with the circumstances. Event details are posted on hauserfire.org and Facebook as will any changes.

Please also see the invitation also posted on this site.

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~SK, JR