As Whitefish Fire Service Area petitions to be a district, a group of residents living west of Whitefish is vying for their limited resources.  

A 2021 study found that an additional nine satellite fire stations would be needed to provide coverage to the greater rural Whitefish area, and that doing so would save money in the long run by lowering insurance rates.  

Now, as insurance rates are only getting higher, the Whitefish Fire Service Area has limited funds, and some neighborhoods are turning to “build your own station” models. 

Established in 1989, Whitefish Fire Service Area contracts with the Whitefish Fire Department to provide service to about 48,000 acres of unincorporated land surrounding Whitefish. The service area is run by a Flathead County board and its station is located on Hodgson Road south of Whitefish. 

The Whitefish Fire Service Area Board put out a petition in May to transition from a fire service area to a fire district, in what they believe will offer more comprehensive and equitable fire protection. 

The transition would shift the funding model from a flat-rate system to a mill levy.  

Currently, Whitefish Fire Service Area residents, regardless of property value, pay $180 a year – a rate determined by the Flathead County commissioners, and thus difficult to increase. 

To make the transition to a district, the Whitefish Fire Service Area Board needs signatures from a minimum of 40% of its constituents. 

An Oct. 21 Whitefish Fire Service Area board meeting had the station packed, as about 30 residents from west of Whitefish showed up to voice concerns with their coverage and the petition. 

Ed Lieser, a resident west of Whitefish, said his neighborhood is losing insurability, making it difficult to sell property or to obtain a mortgage. 

The constituents west of Whitefish say they are in a “gap” of service. More than 5 miles away from the Whitefish Fire Service Area, Whitefish, Olney and West Valley stations, many structures in the area have become increasingly uninsurable this year, especially after the Palisades fire in southern California last winter. 

The residents west of Whitefish said that they would be willing to put resources toward building a new station near U.S. 93 and Twin Bridges Road. 

Several people also said they will not support the petition to become a district without a clear plan showing taxpayers how their dollars will be spent, and in particular, a plan that will improve their area’s service.  

While insurance companies are no longer dependent on ISO (a rating of fire coverage), they are still wise with National Fire Protection Association Standards – and the broader Whitefish area is far behind on meeting those, said Will Pederson, who is fairly new to his position as deputy chief of the Whitefish Fire Department. 

“A caution – you could build nine structures [around Whitefish], cheaper alternatives, but not staff them,” Pederson said. “If the big event comes, those structures will be eaten up in the fire as well without staff.”  

“Volunteerism in America is not like the 1970s, 80s, 90s anymore,” added the deputy chief, who has 34 years of experience. 

The lack of staff is the same reason why residents who live much closer to the station on Hodgson – well within 5 miles – also face insurability challenges, Whitefish Fire Service Area board members noted.  

Ultimately, it is a chicken-or-egg dilemma. 

“Until we can change the format, from a service area to a district, our hands are tied,” said Whitefish Fire Service Area Trustee Dave Kauffman. “The commissioners were very reluctant to raise to $180. When you compare that to the mill levy on other departments in the area, we are way, way, way behind on funding anything.” 

Kauffman emphasized that where Whitefish Fire Service Area puts its resources is a balance of population density versus square acreage.  

“I’m asking, if it can help the most number of people, and it doesn’t happen to be where you are, are you still willing to help put the petition through, so that we have a district that empowers everyone? Because otherwise, we’re stuck with what we got,” he said.  

Both board members and residents agreed that additional meetings would be required.  

Residents west of Whitefish aren’t alone in their concerns about fire safety and insurance costs. At an April 7 City Council meeting, residents on the north end of  Whitefish Lake successfully proposed to form their own North Lake Fire District, with the station built at their costs.  

"We hope the community will support this build-your-own station giving model because we think that’s tax efficient,” Joseph Raudabaugh, a resident of the north Whitefish Lake area said at the April meeting.   

Raudabaugh’s perspective was echoed by other residents of the north Whitefish Lake area in a May 2025 Whitefish Pilot letter to the editor.  

“To make this happen across the greater Whitefish Community requires mobilizing locally; hope is not a strategy,” the northern residents wrote. “Getting engaged is much better than getting in line.”  

The letter goes on to argue that a hybrid model is needed, with neighborhood-specific solutions and plans.