Big Arm residents rally for fire station

Big Arm's fire hall opened in 1980 - the result of volunteer work and donations. One firefighter remains from that original crew.

Unless more firefighters volunteer and the fire hall's sanitation system is improved, the station could be closed.

On Monday night, the lakeside community of Big Arm flexed its muscle, demonstrating its will to keep its fire station open.

"Our main focus right now is to save this Big Arm fire station by any means we can," volunteer Vicki Brandenburg told more than 50 people gathered at La Riviera Restaurant to talk about fund raising, negotiations with the tribe, donations and recruitment of firefighters.

Big Arm is a substation of the Polson Rural Fire Department. That department has tried unsuccessfully to raise a tax levy.

After its second failure, fire Chief Tom Maloney - who was out of town Tuesday and unavailable for comment - decided to close the Big Arm station on the west shore of Flathead Lake, said Alison Meslin, an organizer of Monday's gathering and the Big Arm Association.

So, Big Arm residents in January did what they did 25 years ago when they decided to build their fire hall: They got together, expressed their collective will and went to work. They formed an association, and more than 100 people attended its first meeting Jan. 9 or wrote letters of support.

After the meeting, Meslin said, five people decided to train as firefighters with the Polson department. One of the trainees, Tom Sadecki, said much of the firefighters' work will be at traffic accidents. The Big Arm department will be the first responder at fires, though Polson will continue to respond. Polson firefighters take an average of 14 to 25 minutes to reach Big Arm, residents said.

Meslin said that, ideally, Big Arm will have 15 firefighters of its own.

Another crucial step in keeping the Fire Department open is upgrading sanitation at the fire hall, built on tribal land with a long-term lease. The department hopes to connect to a tribal water line that is only about 300 feet from the station, Meslin said. The association also is asking the tribe to lease an adjacent lot so that a septic system can be installed.

Ross Hoyt is a trustee on the Polson fire board and was a founder of the Big Arm substation. He said the satellite station has a 1,500-gallon pumper truck and a brush truck. If Polson gets a new fire engine, Big Arm could take the old one, he said. Passing the Polson levy is key to that, he said.

While the community is ready to work hard on its project, it has found an unexpected dividend to its investment in time and creativity.

Now, while it plans fund-raisers such as garage sales, auctions and raffles, residents are getting to know one another. It is a diverse community with busy residents, Meslin said.

"This is the first time we've pulled the community together," she said.

"I think it's great that Big Arm finally gets together again," Sadecki said.

The association has collected $2,150 and is seeking nonprofit status.

Reporter Chery Sabol may be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at csabol@dailyinterlake.com.