We feel safe and secure knowing that we have competent, well-equipped firefighters in the Bitterroot Valley ready to respond to any emergency. But there is another reason that competent, well-equipped firefighters are important. And that’s the cost of insurance, which is affected by the state of our fire departments.
The Stevensville Rural Fire District, which formed in 1950 and covers 100 square miles, consists of the Westside, Etna, Burnt Fork and Sunset Fire Companies, and is operationally combined with the Town of Stevensville Fire Department. A few years ago, the board of trustees decided they could afford to build new fire stations. They built new stations for Westside and Etna, and two summers ago, a new station was built for Sunset, at the corner of Chapman Lane and North Sunset Bench Road.
Steve Roebke is the station officer, in charge of the Sunset group of firefighters as well as the facility. He said they have a Type I structure engine, a Type 6 brush engine and a 3000-gallon water tender. The amount of water that they can flow is another important factor in the Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating, which is based on response time, equipment, training, and being able to provide a large quantity of water. The Stevensville Rural Fire District and the Town of Stevensville, with which it partners, have both been able to lower their ISO rating to Class 4.
Stevensville Fire has mutual aid agreements with Three Mile and Florence in the north part of the district and with Victor on the south. When a call goes out in any of these areas, Stevensville Fire automatically responds. The district also has a mutual aid agreement with the Forest Service. They also back up the Marcus Daly Ambulance Service. “Sometimes we’re the first ones on the scene,” said Roebke. “Our equipment is first class. Everything is well-maintained. We have top-of-the-line battery-powered extrication gear. We can deal with cars upside down, a building collapsed on it, we can deal with it.”
The district responded to 680 calls for service last year, with about 70% of those being medical.
Roebke said the district has about 50 volunteers currently on their roster, with about half of those active. Most are state-certified in Firefighter I, and many are also Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). He said they are constantly training, often jointly with the town and other districts. For example, in May there will be a monitor and deck gun drill, training prep for hose testing, a mutual aid drill and an EMS mass casualty drill.
Another addition to the equipment is a drone that’s used for pre-planning for potential emergencies. The drone helps to map out the location of fire hydrants, doors, exits, and gas and electrical shut-offs. This is another way that the ISO can be beneficially affected.
Although much of the in-person training had to be curtailed during COVID-19, trainings were still able to take place via Zoom.
“We feel pretty accomplished,” said Roebke.
He also said they are always looking for volunteers. He said there is something for everyone to do.
“There’s always something for everybody,” said Roebke. “The stereotype [of a firefighter] is a young buff male, but that’s just not true. We can use everybody.”
He said volunteers must pass a background check. “And of course, they need to have the desire to do this.”
“And it’s fun,” added Larry Schalk, one of Sunset’s firefighters. “There’s nothing like going out in an engine.”
“But there is a social hit, a financial hit, and a family hit,” said Roebke. “We see people at the worst of times, including death, and that can take its toll. It’s part of the deal.”
“It’s about loving your fellow man,” said Schalk. “We don’t get any benefits. Except saving someone’s home, getting someone out of a car, taking someone to the hospital. That’s the pay.”
“Newcomers don’t really understand how all this works,” said Schalk, referring to the fact that the service is all-volunteer.
Roebke said the state-of-the-art Sunset Fire Station cost about $330,000 to build and was paid for through property taxes that everyone in the district pays. The acre of land it sits on was donated by Wayne and Judy Olson. The 10,000-gallon water storage tank was paid for through subdivision fees of $900 per lot. The district was also able to put money into a capital improvement fund over the years. The district acted as its own general contractor for Sunset and contracted out to local subcontractors for the work, many of whom are also volunteer firefighters.
The fire stations also include community rooms that can be used by the public for meetings. Roebke said anyone interested can call the Rural Fire District office at 777-7033 for more information.
Steve Roebke says
Thank you for the coverage. We are very proud of what we do for our community.