Jordan echoes call for volunteer firefighters

Pete Clancy’s letter in the Jan. 20 Hungry Horse News appealing for firefighting volunteers is spot on.

There are 20 or more fire departments in the Flathead, with about 70 percent being all volunteer, meaning many hundreds of your neighbors in the valley each devote scores, and even hundreds, of hours each year to train, maintain equipment, respond to emergency calls, and keep you and your property safe.

We’re not getting any younger. I’m 70, and not the oldest volunteer in the Coram-West Glacier Fire Department. Having joined in 1987, I’m closing in on 30 years of volunteer service, as are quite a few of our aging firefighters.

From a high of 23 members a few years ago, we’re down to barely a dozen on our roster, and only about six of those can be considered truly “active” in responding to the more than 200 calls we get for help each year.

You should know, especially if you moved to rural Montana from some larger incorporated area, that if it were not for all these volunteers, there would be no response at all when you call 911. No fire truck pumper or tender arriving at the scene inside 10 minutes, no ambulance, no emergency medical technician, zero response to your call for help.

If you are able-bodied and have a bit of time on your hands, virtually every department in the valley needs more volunteers. Pete is correct — we train you for free, and you offer only to do the “best that you can” to help out when needed.

When we oldsters retire in the very near future, if there are no new volunteers stepping up to take our place, when you call 911, the response could very well be, “I’m sorry, there are no responders in your area—it may be an hour or more before we can send someone from farther away.” That’s not good news if your house is on fire, or you are trapped in a car wreck, or having a heart attack.

If you’d like to volunteer, talk to any local firefighter, or just show up at the next meeting—you will be very welcome, and your neighborhood will be more safe.

Gil Jordan

Coram