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. Burn permits are available at Payette City Hall and the Payette Fire Station, as well as online. Thank you for helping keep our community safe.
Current burn status
The burn ban has been lifted.
Recreational fire and open burning permits are available to submit. Event bonfires need the fire chief's permission and an inspection, so call the station. A permit is still required for every fire.
Updated October 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
Contact the fire station and speak with the fire chief for special permission. Any bonfire must have an inspection.
Before 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
Contact the fire station and speak with the fire chief for special permission. Any bonfire must have an inspection.
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 2026
January through September so far, answered around the clock.
0
Training hours in 2025
1,983.87 hours on the drill ground in 2025 — before the tones ever drop.
120
Calls a month in 2026, on average
Nearly four runs a day, every day this 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
20261,083 calls
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
Busiest year: 2025, with 1,622 calls.
2026 is January through September so far.
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 · Structure fires
City Engine 601
2006 Pierce · Type 1 Engine
When a building catches fire, Engine 601 is one of the first trucks out the door. She carries a thousand gallons of her own water, and she can mix in foam that helps put fires out faster than water alone. She also has a special camera that sees heat instead of light, so firefighters can find people through thick smoke.
The technical side
2006 Pierce Type 1 engine and one of the department's first-out engines for any structure fire. 1,500 GPM pump with a 1,000-gallon onboard tank and a Husky foam system. Special equipment: RIT/Bullard thermal camera.
- 1,500 GPM pump
- 1,000-gallon tank
- Husky foam system
- RIT/Bullard thermal camera
The whole fleet — tap to explore (16 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. Call us with any 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.
