MISSOULA — Missoula's firefighters need to always be ready for any kind of emergency. That's why, on March 27, 2024, crews assembled at city station #4 to practice their skills.
A fire was lit inside a two-story building meant for training. Crews from the Missoula Fire Department and the Missoula Rural Fire District put on full gear and entered the burning building through doors and windows.
They practiced rescuing victims, knocking down the fire, and doing everything as efficiently as possible. Training in live environments is extremely important but with an ever-increasing call volume, firefighters get interrupted.
"It happens daily that we have crews that are in training that get pulled out of training. It's really difficult to shut down a burn training and pull our crews out to respond to calls. They are covered in all sorts of chemicals and toxic fumes that they don't want to be spreading around," Missoula City Fire Department Assistant Chief Philip Keating told MTN.
Not only do firefighters have to know how to put out a fire and save people who may be trapped by the blaze, but they also have to undergo other rigorous training.
"If it's not fire training, it's water rescue training or rope rescue training. We have a lot of disciplines that we train under," Keating detailed.
The Missoula Fire Department was recently dispatched to several locations at the same time leaving all fire units unavailable for other emergencies. Situations like that are why the Missoula Firefighters Union is seeking a levy that would add another station to the department.
"With an addition of a sixth engine company, that will allow us to cycle our people through training without them getting interrupted [from training] and having to run calls. We'll have additional personnel to help," Keating explained.
The levy will be on the ballot for voters on June 4, 2024.
