BIGFORK — The Bigfork Fire District Board of Trustees has approved a bond initiative and mill levy for the special election on September 9.
The bond, if approved, will go toward building a new headquarters for the Bigfork Fire Department, along with replacing and upgrading existing facilities, and new equipment.
Bigfork Fire Department Public Information Officer Allen Benitez elaborated on the severity of some of those potential fixes.
“Our facilities are all nearing end of life and are not really set up to be lived in full time,” Benitez said. “We have some vehicles that are actually older than personnel that are needing to be replaced.”
The mill levy would address staffing issues the department is currently facing and would allow it to employ up to five full-time firefighters per shift, which would allow for faster response times.
Benitez emphasized that what the department is asking for with the Bond and Levy is not a want but a need.
“When we go on a call, we basically put ourselves in a position where we're not able to rapidly respond to a second emergency,” Benitez said. “The mill levy would allow us to hire up to 2 more people per shift so that at least we could cover 2 calls at the same time, and that's been really critical for us. Emergency medical, those cannot wait.”
The total cost and funding needed for the bond and levy are still being calculated.
