Passing the torch at Fire District No. 1

Under the leadership of Aaron Cagle, Shoshone County Fire District No. 1 has come quite a ways. On the surface, it would appear that his biggest accomplishment was moving the district from the cramped quarters inside Osburn City Hall to a new state-of-the-art facility just down the road, but Cagle himself would disagree with that assessment.

Officially retiring as fire chief in Oct. of 2021 after six years in the position, Cagle believes the best thing he did during his tenure was putting together a great group.

“Picking the right people to surround myself with, for sure,” he said. “We had a good team, absolutely. The only way that I picked people was the only way I knew how- the gut feeling of if they were a good person or not.”

Cagle’s replacement, Chief John Miller (formerly Captain), who was sworn in on April 12, 2022, cited this team that his predecessor and mentor put together as a primary factor for him to step up into the role.

“What made considering this role much easier was the team that was assembled,” he said.

Miller had served as interim-chief after Cagle stepped down last year and during that time, he was able to get a sense of the job and work with the same team- just in a new role.

Cagle took over the position in Oct. of 2015 when former chief Jim Walcker retired after 10 years. While the actual move happened under his tenure, Cagle gives much of the credit for the new firehouse, which opened in 2019 and was approved by the voters in 2017, to Walcker who did much of the legwork.

As for why Cagle chose the time he did to step down, he explained that while he enjoyed the parts of the job where he got to help people, the uglier side of the profession was beginning to take its toll.

“I had spent 20 years with a pager on my hip. Some of those in the Coeur d’Alene area, the rest of them here and it was just the right amount of time,” he said. “I don’t believe people should see the ugliest parts of life repeatedly for any length of time. It’s not natural.”

Cagle added that he could have also done without a lot of the political burdens that came with the chief’s position too.

Narrowing down the one main thing he wishes he would have been able to accomplish during his time as chief, Cagle pointed to the consolidation of the separate Silver Valley fire districts.

“Obviously, the big glaring one in my mind is from the very first day I started working here I realized the ridiculousness of us working as separate fire districts in a small county with no population. By far, I wanted to fix that.”

Currently, Shoshone County is separated into three different fire districts (not including various volunteer departments and state/federal jurisdictions)- each with their own chief, commissioners, procedures, and budgets.

Miller, who joined the fire service in 2011 and then with SCFD No. 1 in March of 2016, plans to continue to carry the ball on numerous projects that Cagle had in the process such as wildland firefighting training for the crew and pushing the issue of district consolidation.

“We’d like to. I think it betters the community and betters the responders,” he said.

Miller explained that he first joined the fire service following a tragedy that struck home for him.

“I was driving with my mother and sister who came to visit me in Colorado and we were struck by a vehicle and I lost my mother on scene. It was the first responders from a fully-volunteer department that I saw put in the effort and work and helped me, so I thought I had a debt to repay.”

Before taking on the role as chief, Miller served as Captain for roughly 2 years, but Cagle argues that his leadership capabilities were apparent even before having the title.

“He was already taking on roles and responsibilities and looking for things to help better the place,” Cagle said of Miller.

During his time as Captain, Miller was instrumental in numerous community outreach efforts such as the implementation of JACOB Kits at local schools, making them the first in the region to have such kits in the classrooms in case of emergencies. JACOB Kits are minimalist, life-saving trauma kits that contain a tourniquet, trauma dressing, gauze, gloves, and instructions.

Seeing Miller in the new role, Cagle is excited to see him take up the reins and believes that the district is in good hands.

“I’m excited to see Miller in the role! I can’t think of a person with more heart that he is going to put into it. There may be more people with more training or experience- but I don’t think there’s anyone with more heart.”