BIGFORK, MT — The Bigfork Fire District Board of Trustees has approved a bond initiative and mill levy to be presented to voters in a special election scheduled for September 9. If passed, the bond would fund the construction of a new fire department headquarters, as well as the replacement and upgrading of existing facilities and equipment.
According to Bigfork Fire Department Public Information Officer Allen Benitez, the current facilities are aging and no longer suitable for full-time use by firefighters. “Our facilities are all nearing end of life and are not really set up to be lived in full time,” Benitez explained. “We have some vehicles that are actually older than personnel that are needing to be replaced.”
The proposed mill levy aims to address ongoing staffing challenges by allowing the department to employ up to five full-time firefighters per shift. This increase in personnel would enable faster response times and improve the department’s ability to handle multiple emergency calls simultaneously.
Benitez emphasized the critical need for the bond and levy, stating, “When we go on a call, we basically put ourselves in a position where we’re not able to rapidly respond to a second emergency. The mill levy would allow us to hire up to two more people per shift so that at least we could cover two calls at the same time, and that’s been really critical for us. Emergency medical, those cannot wait.”
While the board has approved the bond and levy measures for the ballot, the total cost and funding specifics are still being finalized. The outcome of the September 9 special election will determine the future of the fire department’s facilities and staffing capacity.
