Fire Department Growing and Changing

SEELEY LAKE - A lot has happened here at the Seeley Lake Rural Fire District in the last couple of months! We are growing and changing and improving every day! Our call volume continues to grow which means we have been able to help more people than ever. We have conducted several community events which have been a great success!

We are already planning with the Missoula County Health Department to conduct the Free Flu Shot and Health/Safety Fair for next fall. The Christmas Tree Lighting Celebration was a huge success where hundreds of people got to come and see Santa and Mrs. Clause and even Mickey while sharing food, games, music and a bonfire. Everyone helped with the countdown to lighting the 20-foot Christmas Tree at Station 1! We also were blessed to get to play a part in generating over $500 to add to the Addy Trevino fund.

We have added seven new members to the department in just these last two months with new inquiries all the time! We are always looking for new members to join our ranks! We are going through some restructuring, promoted one of our dedicated firefighters to Lieutenant and are implementing an officer training program to encourage and mentor the next generation of leaders in the department. We have over 29 people bringing over 200 combined years of firefighting and EMS experience. Decades of leadership experience among the officers and a staff that includes state EMS instructors, CPR instructors, 15 firefighters cross trained in EMS and certifications in ACLS, PEARS, IV and EKG endorsements.

We have dramatically increased the pace of our training, always working to challenge our members, adding new topics and bringing in visiting instructors. We will be conducting a 24-hour EMT refresher in February as well as a Fire Fighter 1 course during February and March which will include Firefighter brothers and sisters from surrounding departments including Greenough/Potomac, Condon and Lincoln Fire Departments! We have two newly graduated EMT’s and have two members currently attending EMT training, swelling the ranks of medically trained personnel! We also have several brand-new members who have expressed interest in attending additional medical training.

We are improving in other areas. We have launched our brand-new website which is better than ever! Now you can see important public notices right on our home page. Go to our “get smart” page for valuable information on how to keep your home and community safe, get your burn permits right online and see all our upcoming training topics and event dates! All this while saving the department a significant amount of taxpayer dollars from our previous site. You will see our firefighters in brand new turnout gear very soon, having been able to get more than we expected along with lots of other new safety gear, all while staying under budget!

Change is always uncomfortable, but it is also exciting! Change becomes positive if that is the perspective by which we choose to view it. New doors are never opened using old ways! The department and the community has been through a lot since last summer but, by sticking together and maintaining our dedication and commitment to each other as Fire Service brothers and sisters and our dedication and commitment to this amazing community that is Seeley Lake, we continue to grow and improve every single day!

I want to sincerely thank every member of the community that has shown us all so much support. The events we have enjoyed such as the Christmas Celebration would not have been possible without the support and participation of those we serve. We are honored by the trust each of you put in us. I also want to thank the District Board of Directors for their assistance and support in our efforts to move the department in a positive direction. I have been honored to play a role in these exciting developments.

When the Pathfinder reported I was here to set the department up for success, I took it to heart! Together, we will continue our work to ever improve the level of professional service this community has come to expect and absolutely deserves from the Seeley Lake Rural Fire District!