Uncategorized
Local fire department adds five to its ranks
Published
10 years agoon
Posted By
Outlaw PartnersBy Joseph T. O’Connor Explore Big Sky Senior Editor
BIG SKY – Big Sky can put its fire and emergency care worries to rest.
At the end of September, the Big Sky Fire Department extended provisional
employment offers to five EMT firefighter candidates vying for positions with
the department.
Three locals and two out of state firefighters will don the Big Sky Fire uniform
beginning Monday, Oct. 21, when they officially start the department’s
training academy. They include Michael Bakke from Bellingham, Wash. and
Michael LeBlanc from Vail, Colo., who will fall in line alongside Big Sky locals
Mitch Hamel, John Foster and Dennis Rush.
Rush started volunteering with the department in 2010 then left the next
year for Denver. He returned to Big Sky in October 2012 and plugged back
into the system, earning his EMT and other training requirements. Hamel and
Foster have volunteered since 2010, each of them spending as much time as
they could spare over that span.
“We were keeping up with learning and training as much as possible, soaking
in all the information the career guys were willing to give away,” Hamel said.
“I [knew] this was what I wanted to do, and to do it here in Big Sky is
incredible. They’re some of the best paramedics and firefighters around.”
Chief Bill Farhat expects the four-week training will be a strong team-building
supplement to the new hires’ already advanced levels of emergency training.
“[Bakke and LeBlanc] have [worked] in fire stations for multiple years,” Farhat
said. “Both come well trained, and it’s exciting for us to have some [new
faces] in our group.”
The hirings were supported by a $485,000 mill levy approved by voters last
May. The levy increased Big Sky homeowners’ taxes from $22 to $33.04 per
$1,000 of their home’s taxable value.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration nationally requires at
least four first responders on an incident at any given time. In the past, the
department has been forced to operate with two to three firefighters on
scene.
Farhat says his new employees will fill a significant need in Big Sky – one that
exists even with Bozeman Deaconess building a medical facility on Lone
Mountain Trail.
“A new hospital does not negate the need for an appropriate number of
firefighters,” he said. “We have all manner of emergencies we respond to on a regular basis – fires, car accidents… We’re here for everything, not just
ambulance use.”
As in much of the country, the hiring process in Big Sky was highly
competitive, with 83 applicants. The rigorous 5-month process began in June,
when applicants took the mandatory Montana Firefighter Consortium test.
“We had to screen through them, and 23 were rejected right away,” Farhat
said, emphasizing that negative background checks and mistakes on the
written application led to the cuts.
After more than a year talking with the community and planning to expand,
the expansion gives the chief a marked sense of relief.
“[This] makes it easier for me to sleep at night,” he said. “The fire service in
general is a labor-intensive environment, and there’s nothing worse than not
being able to respond to emergencies effectively.”
The Outlaw Partners is a creative marketing, media and events company based in Big Sky, Montana.
Upcoming Events
march, 2024
Event Type :
All
All
Arts
Education
Music
Other
Sports
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before 9/10/2024:
more
Event Details
Children turning 5 on or before
9/10/2024: Kindergarten
enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year can be completed by following the
registration process now.
Children
born on or after September 11, 2019: 4K enrollment is now open for
families that have a 4-year-old they would like to enroll in our program for
the 2023-2024 school year. Please complete the 4K Interest Form to
express your interest. Completing this form does not guarantee enrollment into
the 4K program. Enrollment is capped at twenty 4-year-olds currently
residing within Big Sky School District boundary full time and will be
determined by birth date in calendar order of those born on or after September
11, 2018. Interest form closes on May 30th.
Enrollment now is critical for fall preparations. Thank you!
Time
February 26 (Monday) - April 21 (Sunday)
Event Details
My Barking Dog is a nightmare comedy
more
Event Details
My Barking Dog is a nightmare comedy that tells the story of Toby and Melinda, two lonely people whose lives are forever changed the night they encounter a starving coyote at their apartment building. Over time they grow to expect him, leaving ritual offerings to entice the coyote every night. Toby and Melinda forge a connection over this visitor and share curiosity and concern about his presence in the city. The coyote expands their world–until, one night, their world is shattered. Their lives are pushed suddenly into uncharted territory, sending them on a surreal odyssey that changes their city–and the world–forever.
Directed by LX Miller. Starring Max Schneider and Denise Hergett
Verge Theater is continuing their mission to provide accessible theater to our community. Tickets for My Barking Dog are Pay What You Wish with a suggested price of $35. Audience members are offered the opportunity to select the price point that is comfortable for them when purchasing tickets.
My Barking Dog runs March 15-17, 22-24, 28-30
Performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays begin at 7:00 p.m., with Sunday matinees offered at 3:00 p.m.
Suitable for ages 16 . No animals are harmed in the staging of this production.
Tickets are available online at www.vergetheater.com
Time
15 (Friday) 7:00 pm - 30 (Saturday) 8:30 pm
Location
Verge Theater
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm We will combine the heart-opening powers of cacao with the transcendental powers of breathwork and sound. Together, these practices will give us the opportunity for a deep
more
Event Details
Saturday, March 23rd 6:00-8:00pm
Time
March 23 (Saturday) 6:00 pm - April 23 (Tuesday) 8:00 pm
Location
Santosha Wellness Center
169 Snowy Mountain Circle
29mar3:00 pm4:00 pmGood Friday Mass: St. Joseph Catholic Mission3:00 pm - 4:00 pm Event City:Big Sky
Event Details
Friday of the Passion of the Lord St. Joseph Catholic Mission
Event Details
Friday of the Passion of the Lord
St. Joseph Catholic Mission
Time
(Friday) 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm