Volunteers and chiefs urge clearer charter rules, funding authority for Butte‑Silver Bow fire services

Volunteer fire chiefs, elected trustees and legal counsel urged the Butte‑Silver Bow study commission on Monday to clarify the county charter’s treatment of volunteer fire districts, saying unclear governance and budget authority have left equipment and training underfunded and coordination with the paid fire department strained.

The discussion drew chiefs from Racetrack and Boulevard fire districts, dozens of questions from study commissioners and a legal briefing from attorney Catherine “Kate” Dimwiddie, who advised the commission that Montana law treats rural fire districts as independent public entities with statutory powers and budget authority.

The issue matters because volunteer districts supply much of the county’s fire response and currently operate under different statutory schemes than the paid city‑county fire department. That legal separation, officials said, affects whether volunteers can levy their own taxes, how apparatus and station repairs are prioritized, and who is responsible for training standards and mutual‑aid agreements.

Racetrack Rural Fire District chief Gary Mattern (Racetrack Rural Fire District) told commissioners his department has 25 active members and has relied on federal SAFER Act grants for apparatus, but still faces frequent equipment and maintenance gaps. "Money comes out of my pocket for my department, a lot," Mattern said, describing volunteer purchases and long repair delays for engine 77. He also described multi‑hour volunteer responses to regional fires and said volunteers routinely pay for or personally maintain gear when no budgeted funds are available.

Boulevard Fire Department chief Ed Fisher (Boulevard Fire Department), president of the Silver Bow Fire Council, said the underlying problem is that the…