Fire, Ambulance pondering merger, Bigfork Fire orders ladder truck

By ALEX STRICKLAND

Bigfork Eagle

They respond to most calls together, their vehicles are parked under the same roof and the members of each occupy the same offices in Nelson Hall. But for all their connections, Bigfork Fire Department and Bigfork Ambulance are two separate departments. A change, however, could be in the works.

Preliminary talks — "baby steps," Ambulance President Tracy Norred said — are under way to evaluate whether the departments should merge together.

Fire Chief Chuck Harris stressed that there is no formal proposal right now. In fact, both departments are in the process of putting together an anonymous survey for their members to determine how the volunteer base in both feels about coming together.

Both Harris and Norred said they were looking to the future for both organizations to figure out the best way to serve the Bigfork area's rapid growth.

Harris said a larger fire hall would most likely be needed in the future to house living quarters for a full-time staff and a larger amount of equipment.

"If we want to serve this community in 10 to 20 years this is not going to be enough," he said.

An upgraded facility is a long-term goal, though, Harris said, and there are more immediate needs. Part of the reason for the discussion now is that Bigfork Ambulance is considering building a separate facility to house their department and Norred said that before such a decision is made it seemed prudent to assess other options.

The merger option is not a new one. In 2006 the two departments merged for less than a year and then split again. The reason for the quick dissolution, according to Norred, was an incomplete understanding of some of the ramifications of combining the departments.

Even if the EMS merges with the fire department, the fire department gets no additional money from the state. What's more, Norred said, is that Bigfork Ambulance had some paid employees who also volunteered their time after hours. Because of government regulations those employees had to be compensated at time-and-a-half for hours they donated when Ambulance was an independent non-profit. The resulting financial strain caused the directors of the ambulance to pull out of the merger shortly after it was formed.

'We probably could have stuck it out," Norred said. "But we just wanted to stop the bleeding."

Now that they're aware of the effects of a merger, it's being revisited.

Harris and Norred stressed the importance of polling the volunteer members of both organizations, since they provide the backbone of Bigfork's emergency services.

The two also reiterated the fine working relationship between the two organizations, with Norred saying, "Both departments have worked hard to have a warm, cordial relationship."

Harris said the fact that the departments are separate at all is ironic since they respond to between 80 and 90 percent of calls together.

One concept being considered to contribute funding is a foundation for the Ambulance, or rolling that department into the already successful Friends of Bigfork Fire foundation. Such a setup could prevent community members from feeling like they were being hit up for money twice, Norred said.

There is no time frame for a decision to be made and both parties expressed a desire to take things slowly and ensure that everyone comes into talks with their eyes open about the pros and cons of the situation.

"There are a whole lot of pros and not many cons," Norred said.

"We're already integrated," she said. "It's about blending both our families and making it work financially."

Buying a new vehicle is never an easy decision, especially when that vehicle is a $670,000 custom built fire truck.

Bigfork Volunteer Fire Department placed an order for a new 105-foot ladder truck last week after recieving bids. Smeal Fire Apparatus Company of Snyder, Neb. will build the truck, though Bigfork Fire won't take delivery of it until next August.

"We had a demo of one last July," said Fire Chief Chuck Harris. "There are places in Bigfork we can't currently reach with a 35-foot ladder.

Harris said there's a need for a larger truck as Bigfork grows and more and more taller homes and buildings crop up around town.

"It's one heck of a lot of money," he said. "But all it takes is saving one piece of property and it'll be worth it."

Because the truck is custom built to the department's specification they were able to integrate some unique features on the new truck.

One such feature is a compartment to carry the "Jaws of Life" — a tool for extracting people trapped in wrecked cars — on the front bumper of the truck. The department carries their current set on the back of their rescue truck. Harris said the minutes saved by not having to drag equiptment around the truck could make a difference in a rescue.

Bigfork Fire will borrow money for the truck from a local bank, Harris said, and they are currently waiting to see which can provide them with the best interest rates. Regardless, he said, by the time they start paying for the new truck, the truck they currently owe on will be paid off.

"That way we're not doubling up on the taxpayer money," he said.

For more information on the truck, visit Smeal's Web site at http://www.smeal.com