01Structure Firefighting
Homes, businesses, and outbuildings in the city and beyond. Our Type 1 engines carry a 1,500 GPM pump, foam, and thermal imaging to find fire — and people — in the dark.
Payette City & Rural Fire · Est. 1895Ready when Payette needs us.
Two departments, one crew — protecting the City of Payette, Payette County, and the Oregon Slope. The homes, the farms, and the people who count on them. Staffed around the clock, every day of the year.
Our Mission
We respond without hesitation, act with precision, and serve with honor.
Our mission is to protect lives, property, and the environment through dedication, relentless training, and a commitment to excellence in every emergency we face.
Chartered 1895 · A century and a third of answering the call.
Answering the callSince 1895Permits
Need a burn permit?
All burning in Payette requires a permit. Start it here — most are issued the same day at the station or City Hall.
Current burn status
Burn ban in effect through October 1.
Recreational fires (a covered backyard fire pit) are still allowed with a permit. Open burning, yard-debris burning, weeds, and burn barrels are not permitted until the ban lifts.
The only burn permits that can be applied for right now are recreational. All other burn permit applications will resume once the burn ban has been lifted.
In effect since July 1, 2026
The burn ban runs July 1 through October 1 each year, and can start earlier in a dry year. Rules change with weather and fire danger — when in doubt, call the station before you light anything.
Questions? Call the station at 208·642·6028 before you light anything.
Open burning & bonfires: call Payette County Dispatch at 208·642·6006 before you light.
Event bonfire
Bonfire Permit
Event bonfires. We inspect the site before you burn, and you'll call dispatch before you light — apply ahead so we can schedule it.
Paused until the burn ban liftsOpen Burning Permit
Natural yard debris only. Good up to 5 days, dawn to dusk. Call dispatch before you light.
Paused until the burn ban liftsBefore you light anything
Recreational fire
Covered backyard fire pit — a permit is good for up to 90 days, and is allowed even during a burn ban.
Open burning
Natural yard debris only — good up to 5 days, dawn to dusk. Not allowed during a burn ban.
Weather limits
No open burning when it's over 90°F or the wind tops 10 mph.
Bonfires
Inspected by the department before you burn — apply ahead so we can schedule it.
Burn barrels
Strictly prohibited for trash. No exceptions.
Call dispatch first
Before an open burn or bonfire, call Payette County Dispatch at 208·642·6006 so a passing report doesn't launch a needless response.
Always attended
An adult 18+ must stay with the fire, water or extinguisher on hand.
Call Volume
Every call, counted.
We've tracked every run since 2012. Demand has climbed nearly every year — here's the shape of the work, by year and by month.
0
Emergency calls in 2025
Up from 1,395 in 2024 — a steady, rising demand we answer around the clock.
0
Training hours in 2025
1,983.87 hours on the drill ground in 2025 — before the tones ever drop.
135
Calls a month, on average
Better than four runs a day, every day of the year.
Calls by year
Total emergency responses per calendar year
20211,188 calls
20221,275 calls
20231,523 calls
20241,395 calls
20251,622 calls
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Busiest year: 2025 — 1,622 calls.
What We Do
One department. Many kinds of trouble.
A fire call is only part of it. When you dial 911 in Payette, this is what rolls out the door.
01
02Wildland & Brush
Grass, range, and field fires across the rural Slope. We run a large rural fleet built to reach fires far from a hydrant and carry the water in with us, so we can keep them small.
03Emergency Medical & Quick Response
Often first on scene, our Quick Response Unit carries an AED, oxygen, and pediatric gear to stabilize patients until the ambulance arrives. On a medical call, minutes are everything.
04Technical Rescue
Vehicle extrication with Hurst tools, plus swift water, ice, rope, and heavy rescue. When someone is trapped or the water is rising, this is the crew that goes in and gets them out.
05Hazmat Operations
Operations-level response to spills, leaks, and unknown substances. We identify the hazard, set an isolation zone to keep it away from people and the river, and assist with decontamination until a specialized team takes over.
06Fire Prevention
Commercial inspections, free courtesy inspections, code enforcement, and public education. The fire that never starts is the one we're proudest of.
Chief Steve Castenada
Fire Chief, Payette Fire Department
From the Fire Chief
A word from our chief.
I've been with this department for twenty-nine years, and Chief for the last fifteen. I still don't take a day of it for granted.
Payette is a small town, and that changes what this job is. The people we help aren't strangers to us — they're neighbors, classmates, the folks we stand behind in line at the grocery store. When we pull up to a call, somebody is usually having the worst day of their life, and they're counting on people they already know to make it better. That's a responsibility I've never gotten used to, and I hope I never do.
What I'm proudest of here isn't the trucks or the equipment. It's the people who show up. They leave dinner on the table and get out of bed at three in the morning because someone in this town needs them. Getting to lead them has been the honor of my life.
“Leave your department stronger than you found it, your firefighters better than you met them, and your community safer than yesterday.”
— Chief Steve Castenada
29 years with Payette Fire · 15 years as Chief
The Fleet
The right rig for the call.
You can't fight a river rescue with a brush truck. City and rural, from a 1986 reserve engine to brand-new rigs — click any vehicle to see it up close, walk around it on video, and learn what it's built to do.
First out · City structure fires
City Engine 602
2019 Pierce · Type 1 Engine
When a building catches fire in town, Engine 602 is the first truck out the door. She carries a thousand gallons of her own water and long hoses to reach the flames. She also has a special camera that sees heat instead of light — so firefighters can look through thick black smoke and find people who need help.
The technical side
2019 Pierce Type 1 engine; the city's primary structural apparatus. 1,500 GPM pump with a 1,000-gallon onboard tank and a Husky foam system. Carries a Bullard thermal imaging camera for search and fire attack in zero-visibility conditions.
- 1,500 GPM pump
- 1,000-gallon tank
- Husky foam system
- Bullard thermal camera
The whole fleet — tap to explore (15 vehicles)
City
First out inside the City of PayetteRural & City
Answer for both districtsRural
Payette County and mutual aidCommand
Command on sceneReserve
Backup, training, and paradesPhotos and walk-around videos shot at the station, July 2026.
Our Motto
Where Courage Meets the Flame.
Our Creed
Dedicated to building trust, fostering safety, and strengthening the bonds of our city.
Payette Fire Station
600 N 16th St, Payette, ID
Photo Gallery
The wall at the station.
A century and a third of Payette firefighters, photographed off the history wall at the station. Some of these crews are the grandfathers of the crew on shift tonight.
Follow Along
Everything happening now is on Facebook.
Calls, community events, the open house, road closures, and burn-ban notices go up on our Facebook page first — and it's where we'll be posting from every scene. It's the fastest way to see what's happening right now.
Open our Facebook pagePosts appear here automatically — nobody has to update the website.
facebook.com/Payette.Fire.Department
Latest posts, straight from our page
Volunteer
Your town needs firefighters.
We're accepting applications for volunteer firefighters right now.
This is real service, and it asks a lot. You'll train hard and answer calls at hours that aren't convenient. You don't need experience to start — you need to show up ready to work and to be trusted, and we'll teach you the rest. In return, you'll stand with a crew that shows up for its neighbors, and you'll know your town is safer because you did.
- 18 years or older
- Willing to train and respond across the City of Payette, Payette County, and the Oregon Slope
- No experience required — we'll train you
PDF · 6 pages — City of Payette Application for Employment
How to turn it in
Three ways to get it back to us — whichever is easiest for you:
- Print it, fill it out by hand, and drop it off at the station.
- Fill it out on your computer (most PDF apps let you type right on it) and email it in.
- Or fill it out by hand, scan or photograph it, and email it.
Email it to the Chief:
- Scastenada@cityofpayette.comChief Steve Castenada
Contact
How to reach us.
Stop by during business hours, or reach us any time by phone — this is a staffed station, day and night. Use the message form below for questions about permits, programs, tours, and inspections.
- Station
- 208·642·6028
- Business hours
- Monday – Friday · 7:00 am – 7:00 pmSaturday – Sunday · 7:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Follow along
- facebook.com/Payette.Fire.Department
In an emergency, always call 911.
Send us a message.
Questions about permits, programs, inspections, or anything else. This is not for emergencies.