Call to commissioners to improve Whitefish fire protection

I’d like to start by thanking the 1832 voters in the Whitefish Fire Service Area that participated in the election. Mark Carlson and myself are honored to be retained as your representatives. We appreciate your confidence and pledge to do our best. 

The entire board has been working hard to improve our fire protection. The biggest challenge to improving service is lack of funding. Our current flat rate of $180/residence per year represents approximately 9.3 mills. By comparison the average mill rate for Fire Districts in Flathead Co is 40 mills. During the past several years the fire board has received increasing requests to improve response to fire calls. 

Whitefish Fire Department is contracted to be our fire department, and with current staffing levels WFD can only respond to one fire at a time. If an additional fire call is received, the Big Mountain or Columbia Falls Fire Departments respond to our area as mutual aid. Last year approximately 40% of the time a second fire call would have had to be answered by these other fire departments. These responses take longer due to additional distance they travel. This delayed response should concern all of us, Whitefish city as well as Whitefish Service Area residents. 

WFD needs additional staffing to answer two calls that are simultaneous or overlapping. There are over 7,000 residences within the approximately 75+ square miles that makes up the city and the surrounding Whitefish Fire Service Area. The number of homes inside and outside city limits are roughly equal. The Whitefish Fire Department has enough trucks and equipment for two fire responses but needs an additional six full time employees to operate the existing equipment if a second call comes in.  

The WFSA board recognizes that additional fire personnel is a cost effective solution to the urgent need for increased fire response in the combined Whitefish Area. The WFSA board will be submitting a proposed budget increase request to the Flathead County Commissioners which reflects this urgent need for the coming fiscal year. The boards anticipated request will be for a total budget of $1.44 million. This approximates 23 mills. Per MCA 7-33-2404 and MCA 7-33-2402 the County Commissioners are responsible to establish fees for ADEQUATE Fire Protection in fire service areas. 

Please help improve your fire services by contacting your county commissioners and asking them to approve this reasonable increase. In addition to funding for additional fire personnel, part of the funds will be used to improve the function of the fire station at Hodgson Rd and Whitefish Stage. Remaining funds to be earmarked towards eventual acquisition of property West of Whitefish for another fire station at a future time. 

Past experience has shown the county commissioners are reluctant to approve requests to increased taxes with just the board’s request. Active public support is essential to achieving the improvement in fire services. Please help improve your fire protection in the entire Whitefish Area by contacting the Flathead County Commissioners. 

Dave Kauffman, Whitefish, WFSA board member