The Whitefish City Council last week directed staff to move forward with plans for a second staffed fire station north of the Baker Avenue viaduct, with the final say coming from a voted levy. The station would require a minimum of nine new firefighters. 

Whitefish City Manager Dana Meeker and Fire Chief Cole Hadley resumed the discussion about the station, which would be built on land donated by the Iron Horse Golf Club. The Iron Horse Homeowners Association has also offered to raise funds to construct and equip the building.

After further analysis, Meeker said the minimum number of staff for the station could be diminished from the previously estimated 12 to nine. The change lowers the staffing expense — which would be covered by taxpayers — by about half a million dollars, if completed in the next few years.

She also reported that there are minimal savings to operate the station during the day only as opposed to having it open for 24 hours. The difference is one firefighter who, at an estimated $140,000 a year, provides 4,380 hours of overnight coverage. 

The final amount of the public safety levy has not yet been calculated.

Five firefighters would be assigned to the current station, station 21, and four to the new station, to be called station 23. 

Councilor Steve Qunell expressed heartburn over lowering the staffing at the current station and having the new station be funded by city taxpayers. 

Meeker reminded the Council that Iron Horse, in the recent past, made up 35% of Whitefish's tax base. 

"So, not only are they going to donate the building, they are paying a significant portion of that voted levy," she added. 

She also reiterated that the capacity would be increased, and more calls would be able to be answered. Hadley said that so far this year, there has been the equivalent of almost 11 days when no emergency response was available. 

She estimated that a levy would go to voters next fall. 

Councilor Andy Feury noted that the fire service agreement has been intact since 1986, so that is why county residents who live near Whitefish are entitled to fire services. 

Iron Horse Homeowners Association President Scott Sanderude told the Council that he experienced a medical emergency on Big Mountain and was unable to get an ambulance and he knows neighbors have waited up to 30 minutes for a medical response. 

"We pay a lot of taxes. We support a lot of this city and we're not asking for a lot. We're asking for response time. If there's a better answer to get response time out there, we're all ears," Sanderude. "If all we wanted was a fire station, we could do that ourselves. But we don't think that's the best thing for the community." 

The need for a second fire station is in several of the city's planning documents and in the new growth policy. Meeker said staff is taking direction from those adopted documents. 

"We need to find a second fire station. Property north of the viaduct is very limited," Meeker said, and added that Sanderude and his team approached the city with the proposed land and building donation and fundraising help. "If we were to do this on our own, we'd be facing $7 million, at a minimum, [for the building.]" 

The Council also voted to approve its fiscal year 2027 goals and a resolution allowing the destruction of municipal records in accordance with state law. There were no public hearings on the agenda. 

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