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VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS FACE FIERCE FIRE SEASON IN CENTRAL MONTANA B Y LY N D S AY B R U N O E D I TO R
This fall, three major wildfires in central Montana reminded Montanans of the critical role volunteer fire departments play in protecting our rural communities. Farmers Union member Laurie Lohrer is a firefighter and head training officer for the Hilger Fire Department located near Lewistown. Lohrer is on call 24 hours a day, ready and willing to help her neighbors and beyond. The Hilger Fire Department covers over 300 square miles in
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partnership with the Lewistown Fire Department and other departments.“The hardest part of being a firefighter out of the gate is finding the fire,” said Lohrer. “We depend on the information provided by dispatch, so detailed reporting is essential.” This summer, the Hilger Fire Department responded to three major fires: the West Wind Fire in Denton, the Taylor Fire 16 miles northeast of Denton, and the Moccasin Fire near Lewistown. In the case of the Denton Fire, Hilger provided mutual aid. However, the Moccasin Fire was in their backyard. Lyle Shammel is the new Hilger Fire Chief. Shammel said the fires were all located in Northern Fergus County. “This year was unusual to have three fires in our area. These were the biggest fires I have seen since being on the department for over five years.” The South Moccasin Fire burned nearly 13,000 acres.
The Hilger Fire Department was the responding department for the Moccasin Fire pictured above. Photo courtesy of Hilger Fire Department.
The DNRC’s County Assist Team (CAT) assumed command of the fire. Five structures burned, none of which were primary residences. High winds made the fire challenging, which is often the case with wildfires. Crews conducted strategic burn operations on the southwest and southeast side of the fire. The strategy burns fuels between the manufactured dozer line and the 1
main fire burning the ground vegetation that would fuel the fire. Additional containment lines were developed to contain the fire further.
more than 10,000 acres.“It was to the point where it wasn’t trying to keep it out of town; it was trying to mitigate the damage that did happen,” said Shammel.
In the case of the West Wind fire in Denton, residents were evacuated in the nick of the time before the fire tore through the town and destroyed nearly 50 structures, including two grain elevators that symbolized the very essence of this small farming community. The fire burned
“The hardest part about the fire was the drought and the strong winds,” said Lohrer.“There was no snow cover. The winds were C O N T I N U D O N PA G E 8
