Great Falls Fire Rescue outlines $2.5 million training center plan, reports heavy call volumes

Assistant Chief Mike McIntosh said the City of Great Falls has budgeted $2.5 million to build a new Great Falls Fire Rescue training center, and he described ongoing staffing changes and high call volumes during a Neighborhood Council 1 meeting on May 12.

"The total budget for the training center is 2.5 million dollars," McIntosh said, describing plans for a 3‑ or 4‑story training building that would cost roughly $1.2 million and separate infrastructure work that will make up the remainder of the project. He said the city is negotiating a contract with a vendor for the training building and expects roughly a year of lead time before the building is usable.

McIntosh said the project is a cross‑department collaboration involving engineering and public works, which are designing a streetscape and adding hydrants so crews can practice hose lays and apparatus positioning. He also said the oil‑and‑gas company Calumet has donated $60,000 toward a concrete pad and has purchased propane training equipment intended for joint use under a renewable yearly agreement being negotiated by the city and the company's attorneys.

On operations, McIntosh reported that Great Falls Fire Rescue had handled 2,388 calls for service year‑to‑date and that "we have responded to 39 fires," including several structural and outdoor fires. He said the department has run 1,358 emergency medical calls, 412 public service calls and 399 false alarms so far this year. He also described 164 hazardous‑situation responses, including about 45 major downed power‑line events and 48 gas‑leak responses.

On prevention and code enforcement, McIntosh said deputy fire marshals completed 3,048 business inspections year‑to‑date. He explained that in Great Falls the fire department manages the business‑license life‑safety inspection program and typically inspects commercial properties about once per year, with some inspections scheduled when access is difficult.

McIntosh described recent leadership changes: Jeremy Burtz was named fire chief after Jeremy Jones retired and moved into the deputy city manager role; the department has promoted internally and is recruiting nationally to fill an assistant chief position responsible for training. He said a new rookie academy will begin soon and, when trainees complete certification, staffing levels will be closer to fully staffed once an assistant chief vacancy is filled.

McIntosh said the department hopes to begin some extrication and practical training on acquired structures before the new building is available and that broader access to a dedicated training campus will improve realistic, scenario‑based training for firefighters and partner agencies.

The presentation closed with audience questions about the Calumet agreement and inspection counts; McIntosh said the donation covers the concrete pad and that a formal agreement is still being finalized, and he reiterated that the published inspection totals track business inspections rather than new‑construction plan reviews.

The council did not take a formal vote on the training center during the meeting; McIntosh said the build timeline is roughly a year and that limited training in acquired structures will continue in the interim.