Hungry Horse Fire Department sees a changing of the guard
Hungry Horse Volunteer Fire Department fire chief Jared Lako, left, and assistant chief Tyler Lentz, standing in front of the department’s new rescue truck, assumed their new roles at the end of October. (Teresa Byrd/Hungry Horse News)
The Hungry Horse Volunteer Fire Department recently underwent a changing of the guard when Jared Lako and Tyler Lentz took over as fire chief and assistant chief, respectively, for the department’s previous long-standing leadership.
The two men have succeeded Junior Nelson, who served as the district’s fire chief for the last 34 years, and Pat Clanton, who served as Nelson’s assistant chief for nearly 15 of those years.
Nelson and Clanton are likely to stay on with the department in some capacity, but both were ready to pass the torch and take on roles of lesser responsibility, Lako said.
At 38, Lako has been part of the Hungry Horse Volunteer Fire Department for more than half of his life, serving as a firefighter on the force for nearly 20 years and holding the title of Captain for the last 12.
Lako brings to the position a wealth of emergency response expertise from a myriad of work and life experience. He currently works as an evidence technician for the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office.
Born and raised in Cut Bank, Lako volunteered as a reserve deputy sheriff and began working as a dispatcher for the Glacier County Sheriff’s Office before he even graduated high school.
In 2001 Lako moved to Hungry Horse to begin studying criminal justice at Flathead Valley Community College.
One evening during that same year, Lako heard the commotion from a major vehicle accident that occurred on Highway 2 in Hungry Horse. Immediately he walked to the scene and started directing traffic. After the emergency wrapped up, then Chief Nelson approached Lako, asking him to consider joining the department. One night later, as a fresh 19 year old, Lako signed up, and he’s been an important presence at the station ever since.
Lentz, a 27-year-old Hungry Horse local, has been around the Canyon area department for as long as he can remember.
As a stepson of Nelson, Lentz and his brothers practically grew up at the station, acting as the department’s miniature mascots.
Lako remembers Lentz and his brothers as boys scrambling around the engines during off-duty and always helping out at department events like car washes or the dunk-tank station at community carnivals.
Lako and Lentz have known about the transition for the last year and have been preparing for the change. And the next generation of leaders is ready to take the charge, wielding a list of dreams and ideas backed by fresh energy.
The new leadership is taking over at a hopeful time for the department, which has been plagued by financial difficulties for the past decade, but which, through diligence and sacrifice, has slowly been able to climb out to a level of promising solvency.
One of the team’s goals has already been accomplished with the purchasing of a new lightweight rescue truck to complete the department’s six-vehicle fleet. The new truck, outfitted with rescue gear and a few extinguishers, will serve as a useful alternative to the heavy water-carrying engines, for rescues that require a faster response vehicle such as the type occurring 40 miles up the gravel roads around the reservoir.
The department has also seen a surge of new volunteers in the last several months, something Lako and Lentz attribute to their concerted effort in becoming a visible, noticeable presence in the community.
“If we’re down here doing work, we have the doors open,” Lako said. “Often we have one of the engines out, just to invite the community to be aware and to connect with us.”
Lako and Lentz also prioritized getting department T-shirts for the firefighters.
“Just to help the community identify us at events,” said Lako. “Like, ‘Hey, the fire department’s here.’”
The force now has about 17 active members, which means there’s not a locker in the hall that doesn’t have a uniform hanging in it. Despite the full membership, it’s hard for Lako and Lentz to turn down volunteers, especially since they’ve experienced times when they’ve scrambled to find three or four active members.
If people are interested in becoming involved there are plenty of non-fire related ways to do so, says Lentz.
“We can always use the extra help, for you know, cleaning trucks or tidying up the hall,” Lentz said. “There’s a lot of ways for people to volunteer.”