Tri-Lakes Volunteer Fire Department

10/08/2026

So, on Friday, there is a Red Flag warning as it will be warm and windy. Saturday will be more wind but rainy and Saturday night, you'll wanna make sure you leave some room in between your car and the one in front of you. Gotta love Autumn under the Big Sky.

10/03/2026

Trustee Meeting Agenda - 3200 Spokane Creek Road

October 6, 2026 at 7:00 pm

Public comment in accordance with §2-3-103, MCA



Minutes from previous meeting(s): Glenn Henderson

Treasurer’s report: Sarah Diehl



Chief’s Report: Marc Weniger



Old business:

Colorado Timberwolf Truck Update

Sale of 6825 spare engine. – Mark Meyer has an update

DNRC 90/10 Grant – Update/discussion

Storage Unit Water Supply – Power responsibility discussion

Station 2 Generator /Sewer Repair - Update

Cadet Program – Creating Policy and overseer. SOG’s -

Patient Transport – Waiting answer from St. Peter’s medical director SOG’s – Update

Boat Program Discussion - Update

New business:

Incident Reviews

Review unusual Medical & Fire incidents. – Marc Weniger

Equipment:

Repairs required

Purchases necessary

Missoula DOD Chassis – Estimate to repair damage and missing parts $13,000.

6842 Tires – Tires need to be replaced.

Air Trailer Conversion – Possible plan.

6821 Back end swap onto Helena DOD Chassis – Estimate $10,000.



General:

Subdivision Updates

Current Personnel Issues

Winter EMT Course Host

Truck check plan/contract discussion – What’s working and what’s not. Possible revamp.

Other New Business Not Listed:

09/25/2026

So, we didn't have much of a fire season this summer and conditions are such that the higher elevations are fairly wet for what we're used to seeing this time of year. Because of that, Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest has been working on their fuel projects and performing some fairly spectacular burns.

Also, open burning has been open since conditions are favorable(ish) for people to safely conduct burning (with a permit).

There are two places you should consider checking, if you are concerned about a smoke sighting:

The first would be and check the announcements and maps. https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/mthlf-helenalewis-and-clark-nf-rx-fires

The other is https://app.egovmt.com/burnpermit/ -> Start -> Lewis and Clark -> View Existing Burn Activity and Check the area you think you are seeing the fire.

08/31/2026

Our Trustees will be meeting tomorrow, September 1 at 3200 Spokane Creek Road at 7pm for their monthly business meeting.

Public comment in accordance with §2-3-103, MCA

Minutes from previous meeting(s): Glenn Henderson

Treasurer’s report: Sarah Diehl

Chief’s Report: Marc Weniger

Old business:
Colorado Timberwolf Truck Update -
Sale of 6825 spare engine. – Mark Meyer has an update
DNRC 90/10 Grant – Update/discussion
Fee Increase – has been approved!
Storage Unit Water Supply – Power responsibility discussion
Station 2 Generator /Sewer Repair - Update
Cadet Program – Creating Policy and overseer. SOG’s -
Patient Transport – Waiting answer from St. Peter’s medical director SOG’s – Update
Boat Program Discussion - Update

New business:

Incident Reviews:
Review unusual Medical & Fire incidents. – Marc Weniger

Equipment:
Repairs required:

Station 2 Sewer Line Break – Goob will excavate and repair. May need to replace concrete.

Purchases necessary:
3 Medium MSA Masks $1,450. -

General:
Subdivision Updates –
Current Personnel Issues –

Other New Business Not Listed:
Montana Fire Convention – Delta Hotels, Helena, MT, October 15- 17. – Who would like to go?
DOD Truck Paint Job – Estimated to be $9,000.

08/28/2026

Conditions just aren't where the Chiefs would like them to be to re-open burning. Recent storms have not provided enough wetting moisture to substantially change the fire danger.

08/24/2026

Our department participated in another effort by sending a tender to support these operations. At this time of year, staffing is difficult with seasonal employees returning to school, etc. This is where initiatives like this one, run by Montana DNRC, are bridging the gap.

08/12/2026

This past weekend, we sent a tactical tender with a crew of two to help our neighbors in the south and support the efforts fighting the Sand Creek and Bobcat Lake fires near Dillon.

Edit: The tender was originally asked for 72 hours and we were requested to commit the resource and crew for another 72 hours. As a department that has received assistance from other departments across the state on large fires within our own district, we are proud to be able to support the residents of Beaverhead County during this difficult time.

08/07/2026

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT SATURDAY FOR
HOT TEMPERATURES, GUSTY WINDS, AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE
WEATHER ZONES 116, 117, AND 118...

* AFFECTED AREA...Lincoln Ranger District of the Helena National
Forest, Central and Eastern Lewis and Clark National Forest
Areas and Helena and Townsend Ranger Districts of the Helena
National Forest.

* WINDS...West 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 30 mph.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 10 percent.

* TEMPERATURES...Afternoon temperatures of 90 to 95 degrees.

* IMPACTS...Any fires that develop will spread rapidly.
Containment of any ongoing or new fires may be very difficult.
Outdoor burning is not recommended.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are
either occurring now, or will shortly. A combination of strong
winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can contribute
to extreme fire behavior.

Please advise the appropriate officials or fire crews in these
areas of this Red Flag Warning.

Send a message to learn more

08/02/2026

The Spokane Complex fires are a tragic reminder of the risks we face in this part of the country. Whether you live in the city or the suburbs, the right set of conditions could push a fast-moving wildfire into your neighborhood.

A number of local resources can be found on Lewis and Clark County Emergency Management 's website. https://www.lccountymt.gov/Emergency-Management

Have a plan to evacuate and be prepared for public safety power outages. https://www.mtfireinfo.org/pages/evacuation

Protecting your home begins before the emergency - commit to mitigation efforts on and around your proerty.Tri-County FireSafe Working Group has resources you should check out.

Follow official sources of information and make sure you are signed up for e911 emergency alerts - this ties your physical address to your cell phone, so if you're not at home or your phone is hitting a different tower outside of the emergency alert area, you get notified. https://www.lccountymt.gov/Emergency-Management/Emergency-Notification-Smart911

Emergency management

08/02/2026

There is a post on Nextdoor claiming there is a fire near York. There is no fire near York. Please use official local news sites (Helena Independent Record, KXLH, KTVH, etc), the Lewis & Clark County Sheriff's Office , Lewis and Clark County / City of Helena 911 Center , Lewis and Clark County Emergency Management, Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest , Montana DNRC for your official local emergency updates. To see active fires throughout the state, check out https://www.mtfireinfo.org/pages/0d15f1cf7adf4bf9bed1b82c08d9ed06.

Check for current wildfires in Montana.