The town of Hideout on the east side of the Jordanelle Reservoir has been growing rapidly. Hideout City Councilmember Chris Baier said the growth has created a need for more emergency services.
Right now, the Jordanelle Fire Station is the closest and it takes almost 15 minutes to get from the station to Hideout. Baier said Wasatch County Fire District hoped the construction of the Jordanelle Parkway would reduce the travel time, but it hasn’t.
“Because of the nature of the roadway, and the large apparatus that they need to drive to get over here, for certain emergencies, it has not proved to cut that much time off of their travel,” she said.
Further, Wasatch County Fire District Chief Eric Hales said the area is a wildland urban interface, which means homes and businesses are next to undeveloped areas, increasing wildfire risk. But the fire district responds to medical emergencies in town as well. Baier said about 80% of emergency calls are for medical emergencies.
“We have had EMS emergencies in town, where every minute counts for the first responders to get here and stabilize someone,” she said.
That’s why the Hideout community joined Hideout city officials and Wasatch County Fire District members for the town's “Let’s Ignite” campaign to raise money for a temporary fire station, dubbed Station 56. Baier said the town didn’t budget for the station last year and needs community support to keep it going. She and the council hope to raise $200,000 for the temporary station and have it open by June 1.
A permanent fire station for Hideout is still being planned. Hales said the project has an architect on board and the fire district is working on plans with the Utah Department of Transportation and the Hideout Planning Commission. The hope is to start construction on the permanent station in 2026.
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