ST. IGNATIUS, Mt. — Every volunteer fire department in Lake County received a $2,500 donation through a partnership between the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and S&K Gaming, helping departments keep up with the high cost of firefighting gear.
Volunteer departments like the one in St. Ignatius are often the first to respond when emergencies happen. Paul Adams, chief of the St. Ignatius Volunteer Fire Department, has been volunteering for more than a decade. He says while firefighters balance many roles, they remain ready to respond, but limited funding often makes it difficult to keep up with the department's equipment needs.
"To be a volunteer firefighter, you're willing to get up anytime, day or night, and respond to somebody's worst day." Paul Adams said.
"The gear is outrageously expensive. If it says fire on it, it's expensive." Adams said.
Adams says a full set of firefighting gear can cost around $10,000 per firefighter, with 23 volunteers on the crew. Without funding to replace worn equipment, departments sometimes have to continue using gear that has been damaged or heavily used.
"If you rip it or it degrades over time, you have a lot less protection in a structure fire." Adams said.
Robert McCrea with the CSKT Division of Fire says volunteer departments play a critical role in protecting communities across the reservation and surrounding areas.
"We cover 1.3 million acres here on the Flathead Indian Reservation, and those local VFDs, they just help. They have a quick response." Robert McCrea said.
McCrea says the donation is just one example of the ongoing partnership between tribal and volunteer fire agencies. He says they regularly work together and provide training opportunities to strengthen emergency response efforts.
"They deal with a lot of different things, not only wildfire but house fires, car accidents. We try to give them trainings on the wildfire end to put more tools in their toolbox." McCrea said.
The St. Ignatius department plans to use its donation to purchase fire-resistant coveralls and crash helmets for emergency response calls. Adams says although the job comes with sacrifices, helping others is what keeps volunteers showing up.
"It's worth it to be there on somebody's worst day and to help them out of it." Adams said.
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