October 7, 2024
News release prepared by:
Battalion Chief Greg Orr
With 2025 just around the corner, the Missoula Rural Fire District (MRFD) finds itself once again running more calls for service than the previous year. These calls have not only become more frequent, but more complex, requiring more of our personnel, apparatus, training and equipment. They also require a safe, clean, and efficient fire station to return to for rehab of engines, equipment, and personnel, in preparation for the next call.
When MRFD was first established in 1961, calls for service were far less frequent, with 3 career firefighters and 40 active volunteers available to respond. Most of those calls were structure or wildland fires, with a few motor vehicle accidents and the occasional medical call. Almost all our equipment and apparatus were built by the crews or were used items that were purchased. Our fire stations were often converted shops or garages not designed to be fire stations. Fast forward to 2024 and we are responding to approximately 3,500 calls each year, with 53 career firefighters, 7 administrative staff, and 20 volunteers. Now, most of our calls are medical emergencies, with structure and wildland fires, motor vehicle accidents, various types of rescues, and hazardous materials responses accounting for the remainder of our calls for service. The call increase can be attributed to many factors, including population growth, expansion into the wildland urban interface, and the influx of visitors our area has seen. Fortunately, our apparatus and equipment have improved dramatically over the years. One thing that has not seen much improvement, however, are the fire stations that house the group of firefighters that protect our community. The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) standards for fire stations have changed considerably over the years, and as we have grown, MRFD is currently meeting those standards at only one station, the newly constructed station 4 in Bonner. The other four stations do not meet the current standards set by the NFPA and need either replacement or updating.
As MRFD looks to the future, our goal is to continue to meet the needs of the fire district and do what’s right for the taxpayers of our Fire District in a safe and efficient manner.
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For additional information on this incident or fire safety, please contact MRFD at 406-549-6172.