SUPERIOR – Saturday afternoon, the Mineral County Volunteer Firefighters enjoyed a big thank you lunch in appreciation of work done during the West Mullan Fire.

Over the course of the two-hour event there was a slow flow of groups through the meeting room as people came to enjoy the food and talk with each other. Near the end of the event, approximately 30 people had been in attendance. According to Shirley Iwata, this was the expected number because of hunting season, people with jobs and out of town sporting events.

A lot of traffic was not the intention, however. According to Jennifer LaManna, the representative from FireSafe Montana, the event was a show of gratitude for everything the volunteer firefighters do.

“[The event] is a general thank you for their work,” LaManna said. “It’s a recognition of their job and role in the community…especially regarding the West Mullan Fire.”

Because the firefighters are all volunteers, Shirley Iwata, Tobacco Prevention Specialist at the Mineral County Health Department, said the job could be especially difficult. She said the volunteers have to be ready to respond at any time, regardless of what is going on, even if it is the middle of the night or Christmas. LaManna also described the responsibility as a “big take home position” with a lot of danger involved, which the firefighters did for nothing in return.

“They are all volunteers, it’s not a paid position,” said LaManna. “They really are risking their lives out of the goodness of their hearts.”

On behalf of the Mineral County community, Iwata wanted to offer a letter of thanks to the volunteer firefighters.

“We recognize that our Mineral County Volunteer Firefighters are first on the scene when the sirens and alarms go off,” Iwata’s letter said. “We wish them courage and safety from the comforts of our homes as they head out, no matter what they are doing, family events, having dinner, getting some much needed sleep and often in extreme weather conditions. Thank you Mineral County Volunteer Firefighters, for volunteering your time and skills to keep our community safe.”

A secondary goal of the event was to raise awareness of the FireSafe Montana taskforce, which will be organized in Mineral County. The taskforce will work with the communities to raise awareness of fire safety in the county and remove potential fire risks around populated areas. The goal is to prevent another incident like the West Mullan Fire from occurring and endangering the communities and firefighters.

“We want to keep our firefighters safe, because they are our neighbors,” said LaManna. “Our ultimate goal is to keep our neighbors and community safe.”

The lunch was organized by area residents, led by Iwata, and the FireSafe Montana organization. The event featured meatloaf burgers with gravy, baked potatoes, cooked vegetables and a variety of desserts.

Iwata bought all the meat and potatoes and spent a couple days preparing it. According to Iwata, the meat, potatoes and gravy were cooked at Jackie’s Home Cooking and in the firehouse’s oven. Members of the community, along with the hospital, provided the desserts, which consisted of a cake, cookies, pie, brownies, cupcakes and Jello.

Though the event was by invitation only, family members were welcome and many came with their kids in tow. As younger children finished their meals, they would run off and explore the firehouse, they often went to the garage to look at the fire engines. After their meals, some family members went for tours of the garage as well, to learn about how the engines worked and how the firefighters responded to a call.

Anyone interested in more information on joining the taskforce may contact John Woodland, chief of the Superior Volunteer Fire Department, by emailing firechief@blackfoot.net or Shirley Iwata by calling 822-3564.