Visits firefighters who supported southern California fire response

Helena, MT – Governor Greg Gianforte last week visited the Whitefish Fire Department to thank firefighters who recently returned from their deployment to southern California to support the state’s fire response.

“When the devastating fires hit southern California last month, Montana firefighters answered the call for support,” Gov. Gianforte said. “As Montanans, we help our neighbors. I was honored to visit with a few of the Whitefish and Bigfork firefighters who deployed last month to support fellow Americans in need.”

The Whitefish and Bigfork firefighters who met with the governor were four of the 42 firefighters from across Montana who went to California. The team of firefighters was composed of those from fire departments in Big Sky, Columbus, Corvallis, Missoula, Red Lodge, Bigfork, Butte, Central Valley, Plains-Paradise, and Whitefish. A Montana Department of Natural Resources mechanic also supported Montana’s response.

Montana firefighters were assigned to support structure protection and patrol permitters to prevent spot fires. The fighters shared that, during their efforts, winds were up to 60 miles per hour.

“There was a lot of devastation there. It’s hard to understand until you see it,” a Bigfork fighter said.

“We saw miles of devastation, city block after city block,” a Whitefish firefighter added.

According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, in early January, a fire erupted in a Los Angeles neighborhood which spread to multiple fires across southern California, burning over 57,000 acres.

Montana Disaster and Emergency Services received a request from the State of California through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a resource sharing agreement between states. Firefighters were deployed in mid-January for a period of 14 days.

“Thank you for stopping in and expressing your gratitude, it means a lot to us,” a Whitefish firefighter concluded at the end of the governor’s visit.