BSFD shows 10-minute film detailing its 54-year history
By Jack Reaney SENIOR EDITOR
On Friday, May 23, the Big Sky Fire Department recognized its staff during the department’s inaugural employee recognition ceremony, including awards for “Best of 2024,” milestones of service time, and new hires and promotions.
Fire Chief Dustin Tetrault told EBS it was great to get everyone together for the event, the first of its kind since COVID put a hold on in-person gatherings.
“We really wanted to get back in the swing of really doing a good job recognizing all the work our employees do in the community … Really appreciate not only our employees, but our families, their spouses,” Tetrault said.
The ceremony, open to staff and families and held at The Waypoint, began by honoring military veterans on staff and bestowing a special veteran uniform commendation bar. The following firefighters received military recognition: Matt George, Boone Helm, Greg Clark, Brett Skalsky, Noah Thomas, Dennis Rush, Jay VanVoast and Vince Romero. Caption Cory Phillips and Division Chief Jon Trapp also received the military award.
The department then celebrated the pinning and oath of office of four promotions and new hires: Division Chief of Operations Jeff Bolton; Division Chief of Wildland Jon Trapp; Division Chief of Community Risk Reduction Chris Vigness; and Fire Inspector Alex Phillips.
Two community members received special awards.
BSFD recognized Mel Crichton as Citizen of the Year. Crichton volunteers with Big Sky Rotary and Fire Adapted Big Sky as a neighborhood ambassador coordinator, in addition to various outreach initiatives including his “Wildfire Wire” columns in Explore Big Sky.
Fire district trustee Renae Schumacher earned the Service Award to recognize her service on the fire board from 2013 to 2025.
BSFD also announced the “Best of 2024” awards, including a new tradition in which honorees received custom wrestling-style championship belts and a chain that will be passed on to the following year’s winners.
Zach Carney earned Firefighter of the Year, Chris Laukant earned EMS Provider of the Year and Shane Farmer earned Supervisor of the Year.
The department also recognized employees for their years of service to BSFD, some of which were overdue, Tetrault said.
Five-, 10-, 15-, 20-year awards
The following staff members were recognized for at least five years of service: Travis Dubois; Jeff Bolton; Seth Nowlin; Dave Parker; Cory Phillips; Dustin Tetrault; Shane Farmer; Taylor Lee; Mara Mitchell; Adam Ducomb; Matt Migel; Chris Mohr; and Matt Kendziorski.
Ten-year awards honored the following: Mike Ketschek; Dennis Rush; John Foster; Mitch Hamel; Alecia Fischer; and Stephen Pruiett.
Three staff members earned 15-year recognition: Matt Mohr; Greg Clark; and Mark Loomis.
Finally, Battalion Chief Dan Sheil was honored for his 20 years with the department.
BSFD also honored seven firefighters from its A-shift, and seven from its C-shift with Unit Commendation Awards.
Tetrault said the department is planning to continue this tradition every May.
“It’s always a good time, obviously our calls are way down in May… So it’s a good time for us to kind of pump the brakes, and rehab a little bit and get caught up on stuff,” he said.
New film shows BSFD history
The Big Sky Fire Department was established by volunteers in 1971, much more recently than most departments across the country. With many of the former fire chiefs still alive, Tetrault initiated a storytelling project.
The 10-minute documentary, available on Vimeo, captures BSFD’s history and early stories including old footage of early fire engines and donated equipment, and interviews with those who got the fire department started on “a pancake breakfast budget,” as former Fire Chief Bob Naert recalled.
Tetrault summed up the story in his conclusive quote in the film: “We are proud to serve Big Sky and carry on the legacy that was started by the members who served the community before us.”
He told EBS it’s rare to be able to trace most of the history of an organization in an industry where many of the stories are legend.
He gave a special shoutout to Gary Scheidecker, the second-ever BSFD chief who served the department from 1971 to 1978, for getting the old-timers together to share their memories in the film.
The documentary premiered at the May 23 event.
“You could see a lot of people kind of getting emotional,” Tetrault said. “That was one of the coolest things I was able to do in my entire career.”
