County leaders and firefighters contest proposed House Bill 547 that would change fire-service governance

Chief Executive Gallagher reported to the Butte-Silver Bow Council of Commissioners on March 5 that the county supported House Bill 547 and that he and County Attorney Ann Ruth had testified in Helena as proponents.

Gallagher said the bill—championed by Scott Demaris of Anaconda and intended to revise firefighting laws for consolidated city-county governments—would clarify chain-of-command and improve recordkeeping, training and coordination between paid and volunteer fire services. "It's a positive bill for both the paid fire department and the volunteer fire department because it gives clear distinction of the things that we have problems with," Gallagher said, adding that the legislation would not eliminate volunteer departments but would add "accountability" and define who has authority over what.

Why it matters: the measure would change how fire services are…