Citing an undersized response team, funding gaps, rising wildfire risk and an increased demand for service, the Whitefish Fire Service Area is pitching plans to Flathead County commissioners to increase the flat fee paid by homeowners in the area.  

The Whitefish Fire Service Area includes approximately 75 square miles surrounding Whitefish city limits. The Service Area, served by a board and an executive director, contracts with the city to provide fire protection, an arrangement that has been in place since 1989. The Service Area has a station on the corner of Hodgson Road and Whitefish Stage Road, but it does not have staff nor equipment.  

The Service Area’s priority for increasing funding is to hire four full-time firefighters employed by the city. 

The second priority is to fund stations. That includes remodeling the station on Hodgson, which has day quarters but can’t house firefighters overnight, as well as acquiring land and building a new station, likely west of Whitefish near Twin Bridges and Farm to Market roads.  

The board and director want commissioners to approve one of two plan options to increase funding.  

One option would increase the flat fee for all properties, regardless of value, from $180 a year to $420 annually, which would add $762,000 to the Service Area budget. 

Another option would have a sliding fee based on property value and would add $643,576 to the budget.  

Executive Director DC Haas said increasing the flat fee is a short-term fix to a long-term problem.  

Last year, Whitefish Fire Service Area launched a petition to transition from a service area to a district, which would switch the funding structure from a flat fee set by commissioners to a mill levy determined by voters.  

“I know the commissioners are going to be reluctant to grant a rate increase,” Haas said. “Since the public can’t vote on it, we’re like a dog chasing its tail.”  

However, the petition to become a district received far from the number of signatures needed. The petition requires 40% of residents, about 1,200 people to sign. Of those signees, a portion must be representative of the demographics.  

Among many reasons, Haas said the petition struggled because “everybody wants a fire station. We’ve got to start somewhere.” 

An online petition isn’t allowed, sending mail has been costly and ineffective, and steps such as a legal survey make the process more difficult, according to board member David Kauffman. 

Kauffman urged residents to look at the big picture, for the greater good.  

Insurability issues have risen greatly in the last five years as wildfires across the country have taken a toll. Properties more than 5 miles from a station may not be able to get insurance, meaning many neighborhoods across the 75 square mile service area are pining for resources.  

Being unable to get insurance has prompted some residents to create their own districts, such as the Star Meadows District. Approved by commissioners in December 2024, the new station and staff was paid for by developers of The Homestead community.  

All the while, Whitefish Fire Service Area is far behind, with direct impact to residents, Haas explained.  

In the 1980s when the service area was first created, by design it was a better fit for volunteer firefighting, he said.  

Over the decades, service areas across the state have transitioned to districts, and Whitefish Fire Service Area is only one of three remaining in Montana.  

Haas said that the current $180 flat fee is equivalent to about 9.3 mills. By comparison, Big Mountain, which last year implemented a resort tax to fund its fire district, has 42.04 mills of funding. West Valley has 27.18, Olney has 19.4. Hungry Horse has 36.98 and Badrock Volunteer Fire Department has 10.6.  

The Whitefish Fire Service Area is also falling behind due to the valley’s growth, Haas said.  

“If you listen to the fire/EMS radio every day like I do, it gets busy. There’s not enough resources to go around, and we’re trying to fix that.” 

According to Whitefish Fire Chief Cole Hadley, in rural areas, travel distances alone can add several minutes to a response.  

In Whitefish and the surrounding service area, meeting standards such as those outlined by the National Fire Protection Agency is challenging, Hadley said. They are unable to meet American Heart Association’s recommended on-scene response time benchmarks approximately 31% of the time. 

“In addition, our system is often managing multiple calls at once with a limited number of on-duty personnel, which can further delay response or reduce the number of responders arriving on the initial assignment,” Hadley said.  

The use of mutual aid from nearby districts is common, he said.  

“While mutual aid is a critical and valued part of our system, it does add time, particularly for incidents where immediate intervention is critical, such as cardiac arrest, structure fires, or serious trauma.” 

Haas said there has been initial individual meetings with the commissioners, but they need to work out a few more details before scheduling a public hearing for them to vote on.  

Thereafter, Haas emphasized that the fee increase is a short-term solution. The board will look to re-engage efforts to petition to become a district. If and when that happens, they will then be able to leave it to the voters to raise funding further.

Editor Kelsey Evans can be reached at 406-862-3505 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at whitefishpilot.com/support.