Whitefish Fire Service Area collecting signatures to become a district

WHITEFISH, Mont. — The Whitefish Fire Service Area is collecting signatures from residents for a petition to become a district.

Whitefish Fire Service Area is 75 square miles surrounding the city of Whitefish serving roughly 3,200 homes. Now they hope to become a district, but they need the community’s support.

“County commissioners set the rate for a fire service area,” said DC Haas, executive director for the Whitefish Fire Service Area. “They’ve pretty much ask we become a district, and that district would seek the voter’s choice to increase rates and ask the voters what they would see is fair.”

Switching to a district would give residents a voice for how money is spent.

“It allows the voters, the residents, to vote on our budget and what they would like to see as improvements to a fire district in the area,” said Haas.

Every household in the Whitefish Fire Service Area currently pays a flat fee of $180 a year.

If they change to a district, rates could change per household.

“When we become a district, we go to a mill rate. That would be about 14.2 mills,” said Haas. “Property valued at a million dollars and above would pay more in a mill rate. Property values at a million or less would pay less to us.”

The Whitefish Fire Service is aware that the area needs additional stations.

‘We contract with Whitefish city. Whitefish city is busy,” said Haas. “They’re busy in the city and are busy in our area. They need additional staffing. We need additional stations, and that costs money.”

There’s a long road ahead but right now, they’re just looking for community support.

“Again, we know we need stations. We know we need personnel. We need apparatus,” said Haas. “We’re going to work closely with Whitefish city to get those things done, but it costs money. The first step is to get those signatures, and that’s where we’re at.”

To learn more about the Whitefish Fire Service Area’s plans and to sign the petition, click here.