Lewis and Clark County / City of Helena 911 Center

09/15/2026

🚨Beginning tomorrow, the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest is planning several burns that will be visible to those in the Helena area. We ask that you please do not call 911 to report these.

🔥The first planned burn is the Bear Gulch Prescribed Burn, scheduled for Wednesday, September 16, through Thursday, September 17, 2026. The project area lies southwest of Helena along Grizzly Gulch.

🔥The next scheduled burn is the Wakina Sky Prescribed Burn, located south of Helena and west of Orofino Gulch Drive. This burn is planned for the week of September 21st.

🔥Finally, the Brooklyn Divide Prescribed Burn, south of Helena near Brooklyn Bridge and Skihi Peak, is expected to begin during the week of September 28th.

📞For more information you can contact the Helena Ranger District at 406-449-5201 or you can find maps of these locations at:

07/30/2026

Yay Chelsey! Chelsey has completed the Communication Training Program and is now a solo PSC! Congratulations!

Pictured left to right: Chief Brett Petty, Chelsey, and Chelsey's training officer Josh

07/14/2026

Good information regarding the Symphony Under the Stars this coming weekend.

In ONE WEEK the Helena Symphony, Intrepid Credit Union, and Carroll College welcome you to the 22nd Annual Intrepid Credit Union Symphony Under the Stars: Celebration! 🌌

Celebration! will be exactly what it sounds like. An evening of celebration! A celebration of America’s 250th birthday. A celebration of the newest president of Carroll College. Plus a myriad of other occasions to celebrate! And no celebration is complete without some party music. The music of Lionel Ritchie, James Brown, Earth Wind & Fire, Neil Diamond and Kool & the Gang will have you up and dancing from the beginning!

Symphony Under the Stars Information: https://symphonyunderthestars.com/

07/06/2026

Numbers from the 4th of July are in!

☎️393 phone calls
📋286 calls for service created
🧨24 fireworks complaints
🔥3 wildland fires (fireworks related)

Compared to 2025: 293 calls and created 182 calls for service. A huge thank you goes out to our amazing staff members who stepped up and came in on their days off or extended their shifts to help staff the holiday!

07/04/2026

As a reminder, please call our non-emergency number (406-457-8866) to report non-emergency fireworks complaints. This is typically one of our busiest days of the year, so please know you may face longer than normal hold times. From all of us, we wish you a safe and happy 4th!

06/16/2026

We want to take a moment to recognize and thank our Public Safety Communicators (911 Dispatchers) for their amazing work during yesterday’s Mt Helena fire.

When the fire was reported, there were only two dispatchers on duty—and within seconds, the phones began ringing nonstop. From the time the initial call was answered and processed to the time that the first page for the fire department went out, was 39 seconds.

In the following 8 minutes, those two dispatchers handled 51 calls, including 27 emergency (911) calls. To put that into perspective, that pace allowed only about 19 seconds per call if each one were answered, and not all of them were. The average call duration is 2 minutes. That doesn’t account for everything else occurring in the center - radio traffic, coordinating with fire units, dispatching law enforcement, EMS and fire units to unrelated incidents, and managing several other incidents.

In total, from 2:51 PM and 3:59 PM, our center received 248 calls, with 151 of those being 911 calls—handled primarily by those same two dispatchers and luckily our two administrators were in the office and able to come out to the center to help with the influx of calls.

While 151 emergency calls in a little over an hour may not sound overwhelming, for a center our size—and for two people—it is an extraordinary and challenging situation. For comparison, the Monday prior during this same time frame, the center received 26 calls with 8 being 911 calls.

We also want to thank our community. Many of the callers showed patience and understanding during this high‑volume event, and we truly appreciate that grace. Our dispatchers work tirelessly behind the scenes during moments like this and the work they do is often overlooked.

04/13/2026

Last week the City of Helena Commission issued a proclamation to recognize the week of April 12 -18, 2026 as National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week. 14 amazing and dedicated professionals make up the Helena-Lewis and Clark County 911 Center. Together they provide a vital service 24/7, 365 days a year. This week we honor this group that is unseen but always heard and are truly the first, first responders!

Last week, Mayor Dean proclaimed April 12-18 as Public Safety Telecommunicator Week!

We are so grateful for the amazing men and women who work in our 9-1-1 dispatch center. They play crucial role in protecting human life and property within our community by answering emergency calls, engaging with callers who are often distressed or in danger, gathering critical information, identifying the nature of emergencies, and dispatching appropriate public safety resources.

04/11/2026

UPDATE! Due to the weather and incoming lightening for everyone’s safety we are needing to conclude this event early. Thank you to everyone that made it out today! Special thanks to our sponsors, vendors and first responder partners!

We hope to see you tomorrow!

04/10/2026

We hope to see you tomorrow!

04/09/2026

Large column of smoke southwest of Helena off of Grizzly Gulch

Prescribed burn notice -

The Forest Service is planning a 330-acre prescribed burn two miles southwest of Helena off of Grizzly Gulch road on Thursday, April 9. The burn may extend into Friday, April 10 depending on conditions.

The Mini-Horse prescribed burn will incorporate lands between Show-Me-the-Horse Trail and Mini Ridge Trail systems. Trail users should choose alternative routes during burn operations on Thursday/Friday.

Please drive slow on Grizzly Gulch Road during this time period as fire personnel will be accessing the site along this road and visibility may be reduced. Residents and visitors in Helena may see/smell smoke during this window into the weekend.

Visit: https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-publication/mthlf-helenalewis-and-clark-nf-rx-fires/prescribed-burn-planned-for-thursday-april-9-and-friday-april-10-2026-04-06-2026 for more information on planned operations.

Visit: https://www.lccountymt.gov/Government/Public-Health/Environmental-Health/Air-Quality-in-the-Helena-Valley for community smoke resources.