Former Martin City fire chief retires

Rabidue helped secure proper firefighting gear

By HEIDI DESCH / Hungry Horse News

Ron Rabidue remembers lying in bed at night and hearing the Martin City fire alarm sound.

It would go off and quiet. Then blare again.

"It would go off for about a half hour to 45 minutes. Then finally they'd get enough people and I'd hear the fire truck going," he said in an interview from his home last week.

It was the late 1980s and Ron and wife Judy had just moved to Martin City.

"I said, 'Do you think they need help?'" he recalled. "I just stopped in there and asked."

It was the beginning a 23-year career with the Martin City Volunteer Fire Department. During his tenure, Rabidue has served as fire chief and training officer. He recently retired from the department.

"The fire department is one great big family," he said "I'm going to miss it a lot."

After only four years on the department, Rabidue took over as fire chief in 1991. He served as chief for seven years.

He was handed three cardboard boxes full of papers that went with the job and told he could make the job what he wanted.

At the time, the fire department building contained a pool table and a refrigerator full of beer. The equipment was sub-standard at best.

"We had plastic helmets that would melt down around your ears if you were in a fire, but that's all we had," he said. "Some of the turnouts were more Carhartts than actually turnouts."

A battery charger had to be kept on the fire truck (a 1954 Ford flatbed with a round tank and pump) at all times to jump-start it before going to a call. One night, when the temperature was 40 degrees below zero, firefighters responded to a fire. They just about had the fire out when the pump stopped working because of the cold.

Rabidue was nervous, but decided the standards were going to change.

"It's a little scary being pitched into the chief's job," he said. "I took it serious and decided I'm going to do the best job I can do."

Over the years, the fire department has added new equipment and gotten actual turnout gear. A number of federal grants have helped offset the costs.

Support from the other Flathead Valley fire departments have been instrumental. In those first years as fire chief, Rabidue said he turned to the other chiefs for guidance.

Several departments donated their used turnout gear to Martin City. Others invited Martin City to join training sessions.

"They gave us their used turnouts when they got new. It was like heaven for us," he said. "We were buying them as we could, but one or two sets would wipe out our budget. It costs more than $1,000 for a complete set."

Today, department has a 1966 Ford fire truck. They've added rescue equipment and soon hope to add a new extrication vehicle to the department. Training has increased also.

"We have all state-of-the-art stuff now," he said.

Rabidue worked to update and obtain new rescue equipment. Before getting a hydraulic rescue tool, the department had gathered hand tools together to use for extrication.

"With all the car accidents up here it was nice to get a Jaws of Life," he said.

Despite all of the accomplishments and the lives saved during his career, Rabidue still remembers the one's that couldn't be saved. There's one particular house explosion that resulted in a fire that sticks in his mind years later.

"We couldn't go in," he said. "That was a sad time."

Firefighters were forced to watch the home burn because the house was already engulfed when they arrived.

"When you do the best you can, but you think I could have been a little bit better or quicker," he said. "It's hard."

Rabidue said a number of people have helped him throughout his career and deserve thanks. They include Roger Stevens, South Kalispell Fire Department; Don Barnhart, Columbia Falls Fire Department; Cliff and Nancy Nelson; Butch Strey, Canyon Quick Response Unit; Joe Moody and Wes Wilkons, Bad Rock Fire Department; Walter Tabb, Coram/West Glacier Fire Department; Gary Mahugh, Creston Fire Department; John Helton; Tom Torpen, Martin City Fire Department chief; Tom Meskimen, Martin City assistant chief; Junior Nelson, Hungry Horse Fire Department; Ed Burlingame, Blankenship Fire Department; Three Rivers Ambulance; Dan and Diane Anderson; Randy Feller, Smith Valley Fire Department; Barb Lietz; and Dave Lietz.

"It was a real honor to work beside all those folks," he said.

A work injury forced Rabidue into the position of training officer for the last few years and ultimately into retirement.

When the fire siren sounded on a recent night, it was difficult for Rabidue just to listen. He had to fight the urge to bail out of bed and rush to the station.

"It's been a pleasure, but it's time for me to go. I've done my time," he said. "I'm going to miss the firefighters, the excitement and helping people."