Thanks local firefighters responding to Sharrott Creek Fire

Stevensville, MT – Governor Greg Gianforte on Aug 27th, continued his 56 County Tour meeting with Montanans serving their rural communities in Madison, Beaverhead, and Ravalli counties.

“Our communities are made stronger thanks to the hard work and dedication of Montanans like our firefighters, first responders, veterans, healthcare providers, and small business owners,” Gov. Gianforte said. “We will continue to come alongside our partners to make Montana the best place to live, work, raise a family, and start a business.”

Kicking off the day in Ennis, the governor stopped by the Madison Valley Rural Fire Department to thank volunteer first responders for their collaboration and response this fire season and heard from them on their priorities for the station and community.

During the visit, the group discussed a proposed Biden administration rule which could have a “catastrophic” impact on firefighting in the state, and potentially increase costs for a volunteer firefighter department by $14,000.

One Madison Valley volunteer firefighter shared, “I don’t see how small departments can come close to qualifying for their requirements. We have seven departments in Madison County, it would cost over $1 million to replace our turnouts and abide by the other regulations.”

In July, Gov. Gianforte advocated for members of Montana’s volunteer firefighting community against the proposed rule in a letter to the Biden administration.

Traveling on to Virginia City, Gov. Gianforte recognized Kate Steeley with his Outstanding Service Award for her service to the State of Montana as a historic site coordinator for the Montana Heritage Commission.

The Outstanding Service Award recognizes state employees who go above and beyond in their line of work while serving Montanans. Joining members of the commission and community, the governor honored Kate at the Virginia City Meeting Hall and outlined her commitment to her work.

“Since 2013, you have shown exceptional leadership and creativity in managing the tourist season in Virginia City and Nevada City,” the governor read from a letter addressed to Kate.

Traveling to Dillon, the governor visited Montana Cabinet Works and met with owners Brett Barnes and Adam Braddock to thank them for his investment in Beaverhead County. 

Expanding from Blacktail Wood Works, the partners built and opened their new facility last January to produce more high-quality cabinets for homes and businesses and create good-paying jobs as well as work-based learning opportunities for Montana youth.

To meet the needs of employers and boost the skills of hardworking Montanans and, the governor proposed and established the Montana Trades Education Credit (MTEC) that provides employers a credit for employee education and training. Last year, the governor nearly doubled the MTEC as well as reformed the Advanced Opportunities Program to support schools in expanding work-based and personalized learning opportunities for students.

Highlighting the value of MTEC as a business owner, Barnes said, “Having the MTEC program benefits us because we can provide more opportunities to our youth. We recently participated in a career fair with local high schools and heard a lot of interest.”

Speaking to the support of the Dillon community in starting his business, Barnes added, “To be able to move back from Billings and be able to open up our shop, I was more comfortable taking the risk because I had the support of the community and my family.”

Visiting the new Bitterroot Health facility in Stevensville, Gov. Gianforte met with CEO John Bishop to highlight their services to Montana communities and discuss health care priorities. The facility, which employs 41 full-time staff, opened last year to provide primary care services as well as urgent care to patients in the valley.

During the visit, the governor heard of the need for continued efforts to cut red tape to boost the state’s health care workforce.

While in Stevensville, the governor also stopped by the Stevensville Volunteer Fire Department to thank firefighters for their collaboration with federal officials and the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) in responding to the Sharrott Creek Fire.

On August 23, a lightning strike triggered the Sharrott Creek Fire in Ravalli County. As of Tuesday afternoon, the fire has burned 1,130 acres and is 0 percent contained.

Volunteer firefighters with the department have helped with structure preparation in the neighborhoods near the eastern edge of the fire and worked to locate best locations for fire lines on the northeast side of the fire. Currently, 388 personnel, eight fire crews, 27 engines, and five helicopters are responding to the incident.

Talking with Fire Chief Rex Olson, the governor highlighted the state’s investments to increase active forest management to reduce wildfire risk and the success of DNRC’s aggressive initial attacks on all fire starts. In 2022, DNRC kept 95 percent of fires in its direct protection to 10 acres or fewer.