The Blaine County Journal News-Opinion - We've Got The County Covered

The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation's (DNRC) Northeast Land Office and volunteer fire departments in Blaine County recently sponsored a training program to help non-trained volunteers who work with fire departments during wildfires. Don Pyrah, DNRC's Fire Management Officer out of Lewistown, presented the four-hour program at Bear Paw School. The day before the program for farmers and ranchers, Pyrah presented a program to Blaine County Road Department employees to demonstrate ways typical road equipment could be used to help firefighters control a wildfire.

Blaine County Fire Warden Kraig Hansen said, "I believe this is the fourth training session we've had to acquaint landowners with ways they can safely and efficiently join with local fire departments during a wildfire." Referring to the major East Fork Fire in south Blaine and Hill Counties last September, Pyrah said, "At the end of a busy fire season, like this year, there's always an increase in training requests from non-firefighters. DNRC does its best to provide training and help people be prepared for the next fire." The 'Fighting Fire..." program is typically presented in locations that allow and encourage locals to more easily participate in training program.

Fire Fighting for Your Neighbors, now offered across Montana, began because of an unfortunate incident in Hill County in 2011. A fatality resulted when a volunteer, along with two other individuals, went to fight a wildfire. The pickup they were driving got stuck and the wildfire overtook them. One person safely stayed in the truck cab, another ran for safety in the blackened area already burned and a third tried to outrun the fire. The latter was seriously burned and subsequently died from her injuries.

According to Pyrah, "The four-hour program highlights the basics for a 'non-fire trained individual' to safely work with a fire department during an emergency event." He added that trained volunteer firefighters have a number of restraints that govern how they work and operate. He said, "We want locals who help fight a fire to do so safely."

Pyrah described the recent East Fork Fire, still vivid on many local's minds, as a "low frequency, high risk" event. Pointing out that Blaine County, in the last 35 years, has only had three such wildfires. He added, "Most of the folks will never see another fire of that magnitude in their lifetime. Those big fires, thankfully, are low frequency." Wildfires in this area, for the most part, are of short duration and fairly easily controlled. Pyrah said, "Bigger fires have more chances for missteps. As fire size increases, the complexity rapidly exceeds the resources that most volunteer departments have."

Kraig Hansen

bout fifteen locals from Blaine and Hill Counties participated recently in a "Fighting Fire for Your Neighbors" program. The four-hour training helps non-trained volunteer firefighters focus on their personal safety and emphasizes the importance letting fire officials know they are on site. The program, now presented across Montana, was created after a volunteer was fatally burned in 2011. The recent class was held at the Bear Paw School in southwest Blaine County.

For those completing the "...for Your Neighbors" training, organizers hope for two outcomes. Pyrah emphasized, "Always number one is personal safety for someone coming to help on a fire." Second is knowing how a fire department goes about controlling a fire.

Chief Hanson said, "In practical terms that means a volunteer coming to fight a fire should contact a fire department or fire official to let them know they are on site. My worst fear is to learn, after an event is under control, that someone who went to help is missing and none of our departments even knew they were in the area." Widespread fires where volunteers can join from many different routes and directions, like the East Fork Fire, are especially troublesome Hansen said.

Pyrah said, "At the end of the day, an incident commander (the person with overall responsibility for controlling a wildfire) is responsible for the safety of everyone involved in fighting the fire, whether they are known to be on the site or not. That's one reason we put so much emphasis on having volunteers let someone know they are joining the firefighting effort." It's important that everyone joining a fire line, especially on a large fire, receives information about the overall plan to fight the fire and makes other firefighters aware of their presence.