A Texas couple has stepped forward to donate $600,000 to the Big Mountain Firefighters Association for the purchase of a fire truck and safety equipment.

The gift from Mark and Robyn Jones of Westlake, Texas, will allow the association to purchase a 2017 HME HAF51 Rescue Tower will allow the fire department to better respond to fires. The Whitefish Community Foundation was instrumental in helping the association complete the gift transfer for the purchase, according to a press release.

On Nov. 2, 2017, the Big Mountain Fire Department responded to a fully involved structure fire at Slopeside on Big Mountain. The size of the structure and prevailing winds greatly hindered the firefighters’ ability to extinguish the blaze even with help from seven county fire departments providing mutual aid.

“Due to increasing building size, the Big Mountain Fire District has recognized a need for an apparatus with an elevated stream and after this incident requested the BMFA to begin fundraising efforts for the acquisition,” the release stated.

The Joneses are new to Whitefish and are currently building a home on Big Mountain.

“Whitefish is becoming a very important place for our family to gather,” Mark Jones said. “We are grateful for the warm welcome we have received from the Whitefish community and appreciate the opportunity to contribute to its well-being. We wanted to make sure the local first responders had the necessary tools to carry out their important work.”

Rhona Meislik, treasurer of the Big Mountain Firefighters Association Board of Directors and its lead fundraiser, said the association is “extremely grateful for this generous gift.

“The fire department must be properly equipped to fight fires that start on Big Mountain,” Meislik said in a prepared statement. “Since 2001 the BMFA has worked to solicit funds to support their equipment needs. We were two years into a fundraising campaign for the truck when Robyn and Mark Jones funded the purchase of the truck.”

Big Mountain Fire Chief and BMFA President Ben DeVall said the department has had and continues to have “incredible support” from the property owners within and adjacent to the district.

“With 87 percent of the district budget going to our firefighters’ payroll, large capital expenses would not be possible without the fundraising efforts of the BMFA,” DeVall said. “Mark and Robyn’s generous donation makes replacing our 1996 structure engine a reality.”

The fire truck is due to arrive this summer and the Big Mountain Fire Department will hold a community open house to feature the truck.

For more information about the Big Mountain Firefighters Association, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, e-mail [email protected].