Big Arm Rural Fire Department meeting a heat affair

BIG ARM — Firemen exchanged heated words this past Friday night over a recent Big Arm Rural Fire Company meeting and the proposed construction of a new Polson Rural fire station in Big Arm.

A portion of Big Arm Rural Fire Company met Nov. 16 to discuss their intentions of becoming more autonomous. A form distributed by Big Arm firefighter, Ron Friez, detailed the Nov. 16 meeting’s outcomes, in which Big Arm firemen elected a slate of officers to govern the body.

The form contained the firemen’s intentions to continue under the supervision of the Polson Rural Fire chief and to keep training with the Polson Rural Fire Department.

The Polson Rural Fire District was formed March 9, 1960, Big Arm joined in the 1970s and has always been a part of the Polson Rural Fire District.

As it stands, the Big Arm Rural Fire Company is a subdivision of the Polson Rural Fire District, and in being such, trains with the Polson Fire Department. It is also under Polson’s management and responds to the same 147-square-mile area as the Polson Fire Department. In addition, new recruits for the Big Arm branch have to be approved by the Polson department.

According to Big Arm firefighters, the requirements to become a firefighter are too stringent, and they have lost four of their once 10-man crew because of the stipulations.

Polson Fire Department representative, Paul Bishop, said he didn’t agree to the split during the meeting.

“Togetherness is our motto,” he said. Later he added that the “election was divisive.” Bishop said he was embarrassed to go to Friday night’s meeting, but said he agreed with members of the audience and board members that for the last few months there has been contention between the two stations.

“For the last six months it has been very, very divided,” he said. He added that the “secret meeting” on Nov. 16 did nothing to help the relationship.

Irvine Flats firefighter, Jack Clapp, said he was also offended by the earlier meeting and was under the impression that the Big Arm Company didn’t want Irvine Flats volunteers.

“It (the non-publicized meeting) was a slap in the face. I’ve got my equipment in the truck and will turn it in now,” Clapp said.

He continued by expressing his feelings about Irvine Flat’s supposed exclusion by the Big Arm Company.

He said he told the board that Irvine Flats wanted to join Big Arm in December 2007, but the members seemed reluctant to accept Irvine Flats’ membership.

“It (the meeting) was not meant to exclude, or be a slap in the face. As I see it, this has been on the agenda for a long time,” Friez said.

Friez said the Big Arm department has been in limbo, and simply wants to be able to recruit new people. He said the meeting was seen by Big Arm firefighters as a way to add to their volunteer staff.

The two-hour-long flame-filled words died down after a board member assured everyone there would be a way to make the Big Arm company work. Former firefighter chief Ross Hoyt continued by saying everyone would “be satisfied and live with it.”

Regarding a proposed new rural fire station, Bishop said there was no need to rush construction.

“It makes zero operational sense,” Bishop said in an interview with the Leader. He said the rural board wishes to construct a new building by the bridge within sight of the Polson fire station.

Bishop went on to say that more than 50 percent of fire department runs occur in the southern portion of the district. He said the inter-local agreement between Polson city and Rural Departments has always acted as a way to fuse the two and make certain there was no duplication of equipments or buildings.

Bishop also said the Polson Firefighter membership unanimously opposes —with only two dissentions - a new building so close to the city station, and the Big Arm Rural Fire Company’s quests toward self-governance.

A motion to hire a consultant to advise on a location of the proposed new Polson Rural fire station did not carry and there has been no vote by the Polson Rural Fire District Board of Trustees to build a new station.