MISSOULA — The impacts of the recently closed Maclay Bridge west of Missoula are varied and wide-ranging.
The Missoula Rural Fire District (MRFD) has a station on South Avenue and Reserve Street, the closest fire station to respond to the Maclay Bridge area.
"There's a wide variety of feelings and emotions that happen during the emergency response," MRFD Chief Paul Finlay shared with MTN News.
He added that this emotional connection is due to crews all wanting to help people as best as they can.
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MFRD stopped taking their bigger engines across the bridge due to a weight limit a few years ago.
"We were initially limited in 2020 with our rigs that were removed from crossing the bridge because of weight," Finlay stated.
They sent smaller fire vehicles over the bridge to quickly respond to calls but now, all of the MFRD's fire trucks will have to go the long way around.
Even though the additional mileage is low, added time can have repercussions in emergencies.
“There’s about a two-mile difference between going South Avenue to North [Avenue]as opposed to going out around [Highway] 93. You know, depending on road conditions, traffic what have you, that can add valuable time to the response," Finlay explained. "Certainly, we want to get there as soon as possible to be able to intervene in that situation and make a change in somebody’s situation.”
MRFD is working on adjustments to get where they need to go as fast as possible.
In the meantime, they urge people to take preventative measures to protect against fires in their homes and learn lifesaving skills just in case.
