Missoula Fire to hire more, expand capacity with federal grant 'cushion'
Missoula's Fire Department will have a large financial "cushion" to expand its infrastructure after the federal government awarded the city a $7 million grant , which comes on top of an additional $7 million dollars from a voter-approved levy.
The federal SAFER grant will provide $7 million over three years to pay for 26 new firefighters, as opposed to the original 20 provided by the levy.
Fire Chief Gordy Hughes said Wednesday that with the addition of the federal grant, the fire department should be able to use levy money to build a second maintenance facility and a permanent home for the city's Mobile Support Team.
"What that grant does not provide is the (personal protective equipment) for those firefighters, but what it does provide is some cushion in our levy to address what we went through earlier in the budget process in terms of items not budgeted for," Hughes said.
The city was awarded the grant after it approved its 2025 fiscal year budget , which includes the $7 million from the levy for the fire department to build a sixth fire station. Voters approved the fire levy in May.
The $7 million levy will pay for one-time purchases like new buildings and equipment, while the grant will fund the salaries of the new employees for the next three years, which is required by the grant.
Once the grant is exhausted, the permanent levy will cover the costs of the new employees and infrastructure, Hughes said.
The department originally asked for a voter-approved mill levy to improve its response times and build a sixth fire station. Hughes previously said that new growth in Missoula has pushed the department behind national call time standards.
The fire department is now searching for a location to build a sixth station. In the meantime, Hughes said the department will expand its maintenance station and also build a location for the Mobile Support Team (MST) at Station 4.
The MST responds to nonviolent cases of crisis where the police or fire department might not be equipped to handle, like helping residents get in touch with service providers and other supportive actions.
MST was also funded by the May voter-approved levy.
Assistant Fire Chief Brad Davis said because so many additional firefighters will join the department in the coming months, the fire union has asked for a new full-time training position. The position would cost roughly $220,000 and have a $127,000 salary, he said.
City Council initially approved the new position on Wednesday and will take a final vote on Monday, Sept. 23. After 2025, the position will have to be funded by the city as an ongoing budget request.
"We want to make sure that we get all of the new firefighters that we are excited to bring on the force well trained," Ward 5 Councilor Stacie Anderson said. "And then training is an ongoing thing to make sure that skills are where they need to be to provide the level of service that we expect in Missoula."
The added resources will allow the fire department to have another fully staffed battalion, which is an engine and crew, by next March. The city currently has five battalions online at all hours of the day.
Also on Wednesday, the city gave initial approval for the fire department to authorize a five-year contract extension with Missoula Emergency Services Incorporated to provide EMS services within the city.
Griffen Smith is the local government reporter for the Missoulian.
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