Rural communities like those scattered across the Flathead have relied for decades on volunteer firefighters and paramedics, who train for hundreds of hours and risk their lives for others.
In recent years, however, their numbers have been dropping.
“People come here with the expectation that when you call 911, somebody’s going to come,” said Gary Mahugh, fire chief of the Creston Fire Department for almost 40 years.
The Creston Fire district, which reaches a bedroom community set at least 15 minutes from the two closest towns, serves 8,000 people who expect trained professionals and a timely response to emergencies.
“In Creston, if we did not have volunteer firefighters, we would not have a fire department,” Mahugh said. “Or we would not have any kind of response in any kind of a timely fashion.”