Bigfork Fire Department to Float Bond Initiative, Mill Levy in Special Election
Voters in September will determine whether to fund a new fire district headquarters, as well as station upgrades, additional firefighters and wage increases
By Zoë Buhrmaster
The board of trustees overseeing the Bigfork Fire Department approved a bond initiative and mill levy that will show up before voters in a special election this September.
As with other emergency service agencies across Montana, the lake town’s fire department is experiencing higher service calls while dealing with aging buildings, outdated equipment and staffing shortages, according to Bigfork Fire Chief Jeremy Patton.
The bond initiative seeks funding to replace and upgrade aging facilities, while the mill levy would address “critical staffing shortfalls impacting the department’s ability to respond quickly and effectively to emergencies,” according to a Tuesday news release announcing the bond and levy, which will appear on voters’ ballots leading up to a Sept. 9 special election.
Last year, nearby Kalispell passed a $4.6 million public safety levy to bolster the city’s fire and police departments. The levy passed with concerted effort from city officials to educate voters on its benefits, spurred by reports from the Center for Public Safety Management (CPSM) illustrating that Kalispell’s population has outpaced its emergency resources.
Describing a similar strain on Bigfork’s emergency services and infrastructure, Patton said the special election marks the second time the Bigfork Fire Department has asked for a levy, the first passing in 2018, prior to the Flathead Valley’s pandemic-era population boom.
“Our emergency responders are doing life-saving work with limited resources,” Patton said in the news release. “These investments will help us make strides in the safety and resilience of our community.”
The cost to taxpayers is still being calculated as project costs are assessed, the press release stated.
The bond initiative seeks funding to replace and upgrade aging facilities that no longer meet current safety, design, and operational standards, including Fire Stations 31, 32, and 33, which have reached end-of-life conditions and fail to meet the needs of firefighter health, safety, and operations, according to the release.
If voters approve the bond, it would fund a new Fire District Headquarters and Station 31 on 8.65 acres owned by the fire district, replacing the existing station that sits on a quarter-acre lot. The facilities would include administrative offices, modern living quarters, training space and apparatus bays. The bond would also include repairs and upgrades to existing stations 32 and 33.
The proposed mill levy would reinforce the fire department’s staffing. There are currently only three full-time firefighters per shift. Volunteer firefighters supplement the staffing shortage, Patton said, but are limited in training, availability and response time.
Bigfork firefighters are also paid between 30% to 50% less than that of nearby departments, according to the Bigfork Fire Department, making it more difficult to recruit and retain staff.
The levy would increase the department’s capacity to have up to five firefighters on duty per shift, improve wages, provide funding for purchasing additional safety gear, and help to continue funding round-the-clock Advanced Life Support Paramedic availability.