Call center keeps lines open for fire information

A Star Meadow resident wants to know if the Brush Creek Fire has forced a new round of evacuations. A Good Creek resident in Salt Lake City asks if that fire has reached her vacant home. A resident of Hot Springs inquires how large the Chippy Creek Fire has grown in the last 24 hours.

All were questions fielded - and answered - by volunteers at a call center set up by the Flathead County Office of Emergency Services.

The call center relays the latest information on specific fires, evacuation status, and tips for reducing the vulnerability of property in forested areas to the public.

"This is kind of one-stop shopping for people to call and get information," said Cindy Mullaney, deputy director of the county's Office of Emergency Services.

Opened Saturday, the call center is expecting to see the number of calls increase with the amount of fire activity, said United Way Director Sherry Stevens-Wulf, who is coordinating the volunteer response.

Operators received 81 calls on their first day, 43 calls on Sunday, and 138 on Monday.

The call center receives scheduled updates from incident commanders in the field as well as notification when something large happens, Mullaney said.

The center also acts as an intermediary between those offering to help potential fire victims and the potential victims themselves. People have contacted the call center donating services that range from fireproofing homes to pet care to transporting livestock and providing barn space.

John Cecil, a native of Georgia who is volunteering on his vacation, said these are the second-most-common type of calls he has received.

The most common: people from Good Creek who want to know what the Brush Creek Fire is doing to their homes.

A resident of the Good Creek area called from another city asking about her home, Cecil said. He told her a fireline had been constructed in front of it, but that he wouldn't walk up to the fire and start roasting marshmallows.

"She unexpectedly broke into tears, saying she needed something funny to break her tension," he said.

Besides serving as an information resource for the public, call center volunteers support the Sheriff's Office and the county's rural fire departments protecting property near the fires.

Volunteer Russ Parrett has spent the last couple of days transporting equipment, supplies and food to deputies and firefighters in Star Meadow.

Parrett, a retired firefighter and emergency services responder in California, says it's about service and giving back.

"Once it gets in your blood, it never gets out," he said.

The call center can be reached for questions between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. at (406) 758-0900. A recorded message, updated twice a day, can be reached around the clock at (406) 758-2100.

However, those hours may be expanded if Flathead County wildfires continue to expand and threaten homes.

The call center also is looking for additional volunteers to operate phones and run errands for the Sheriff's Office and rural fire departments. Interested parties should call 758-0900.

"If you want to volunteer, we never say never," Mullaney said.

Reporter Nicholas Ledden can be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at nledden@dailyinterlake.com