Little bit’a delayed reaction here–been out exercising my freedoms.
A little bit of straight speak from our boy Mitchell Hicks, chair of Frenchtown Rural Fire. Now Mitchell pissed us off a few weeks back for antagonizing Scott Waldron, hero of the Black Cat Fire, but he redeemed himself Monday by laying down some truth about the Office of Property Grabbing. You see, Frenchtown came to its senses last month and realized that by going along with the OPG subdivision review, they were playing the man’s game in the following ways:
1. By using our taxpayer money to enforce the will of OPG…
2. thereby subsidizing higher development regulation standards than we as a community hold.
3. Opening Frenchtown, not rich-ass Missoula, up to litigation.
4. Making Scott Waldron mad.
5. Validating the cabal that is the OPG, James McCubbin, Bill Carey and Mike Sehestedt.
Now, of course, token “progressive” commissioner Bill Carey flipped out about Frenchtown’s decision to remove itself from subdivision review. “Oh no, I don’t know if I can approve any more Frenchtown subdivisions without the fire dept. telling us there’s systems in place to fight fire,” he says. Well, of course there’s systems in place, Mr. Carey. We still got building codes don’t we?
So, I’m loosing track of myself. Here’s where Mitchell rolls in with the straight speak… After cutting into a speech about how development approval is the business of planners, he says, “It’s time for those OPG boys to start earning their money.”
Hooyah, Mr. Hicks. Roger Millar can take that to the bank; although he probably goes to a “credit union.”
That’s an old fight. Them building codes sure will mean something to the insurance companies some day when that Scott Waldron is too old to run up there on that hill with his boys and save us like last time.
What we need is another one of them Scott Waldron’s who is younger, and fitter, and see if we can’t keep that one around awhile.
Backburns. Yep. Backburns is what the fire board should teach the chief. Them backburns is what saved us.
Scott got er done up there tellin them DNRC and FEDS to go stray on their own rear ends. He was saving that hill is what he was doin, aint no other thing to it.
Building bodes don’t mean crap when there’s no wet stuff to put on the red stuff- and that’s what fire protection is all about. That means residential sprinkler systems or storage on-site of an appropriate size. I wouldn’t be approving any subdivisions without that stuff, either, if i was in Carey’s shoes.
Well it’s like kids at play. If we can’t have all the toys we a
want, when we want them, and at any price, then we won’t play and we’ll get even with those trying to do their job. We’ll deny our assistance so well informed decisions are impossible. So now Frenchtown Fire is into name calling, resigning, quitting, and just as children ready to pout if they do not get their way as they have been use to getting from the “yes boards” of the past. It is time someone (this new board, elected to make change) says “Boys and girls ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.” Hooray to change on behalf of the citizens.
As usual, the media never gives us, the public the whole story. It seems they are always too busy being biased in one direction or the other. As someone just listening in, I’d like to know some facts not just opinions. For example, how long it took the chief to have the dept respond to the Black Cat fire after it was reported and did they ever figure out what started it? I never did hear. I’m also curious (because of the OPG mess) what if any relationship there is between the chief and the company installing sprinklers. And does the OPG pay other volunteer dept’s to do subdivision review? And now that lawyers are involved over the chiefs’ contract, I’m wondering who wrote/writes his contract anyway. Got answers? Would like to know.
Well…Well I do believe that all Frenchtown
Fire is asking for is safe operating equipment, not toys, and the last time i looked structural fire engines are very expensive. How would you like to respond to EMERGENCYS with out it…after all it is all about firefighter and public safety is it not?? The last time I looked FRFD still PLAYING as you call it…and responding to every call like always. I think this is ass backwards and it is you and the fire board that are taking away from the district to get what you all want…and that is to get rid of Scott Waldron…..and why??? I have one question for Mrs Robert….what has this new fire board done for this department or for this community, except tear it appart? Name one thing they have done….the last time I looked my taxes are the same, so you can not say they have cut taxes….I believe the tax payers dallars are gonna be spent on legal fees and other bullshit, instead of new fire engines that needs to be replaced, and if anyone has quit it is because of people like you and this fire board and the hostile emvironiment they created. If memory serves me right your husband talked about safety issues and good equipment during his driver training here at FRFD. Ask him about “ALL GOOD KIDS LIKE MILK” That is what FRFD does and has always done….AIM HIGH and GET THE BIG PICTURE.
As 911 reports the Frenchtown Fire Department responded to this call the same as they do to any emergency…within minutes.
It was confirmed that lightning-causes the fire, that began back on July 17, when a storm moved through and touched down in the timber north of Frenchtown.
It smoldered quietly for more than a month in an area inaccessible by road until it awoke in full fury.
The Missoula Office of Planning and Grants provides planning, program development and implementation services to the citizens and elected officials of the City and County of Missoula. The Office of Planning and Grants engages in natural resources and land-use planning, community development activities, and grant programs that effectively improve the health, safety, and welfare of Missoula County residents. In all work efforts, it is the responsibility of the Office to:
Promote development that contributes to community goals and is in harmony with our natural environment.
Support local elected officials and agency coworkers in their efforts to improve the public health, safety, and welfare of Missoula’s citizens.
Promote a high quality of life for all citizens of Missoula City and County. Encourage public participation in planning for the future.
As far as the relationship between Chief Waldron and the sprinkler companies….there is no relationship…. the homeowner chooses the company to install the system. They do have to be a certified sprinkler installer.
Chief Waldron’s contract is approved by the fire district board of Trustees.
Actually, I KNOW FOR A FACT that Frenchtown Fire did NOT take immediate action when the Black Cat Fire was first reported. They may have “responded”, but nothing was done.
Get the facts. I know an individual reported that fire Hours before there was any real response. Also, kids, pretty hard to respond with not personnel or equipment in the district and to top it off, refuse outside help. Why is this information not being released? Politics? Media? I think so. Funny, too, that with all the taxes I pay for this “fire protection”, we had no equipment at the Evaro station for a year, maybe more. UNACCEPTABLE!
By the way, that fire was accesible by road where it first started. Maybe the chief was looking for more “glory”.
I have the facts…and more so than you. This fire was a mile or more from the nearest road. There was only one staff member and one engine on Seeley Lake. All the rest of the staff were availble. This fire started on state land not in our district. All staff members responded with equipment. Chief Waldron was the first on scene according to the 911 recordings. I guess I am wondering how you know more than the fire investigators that ruled this a lightning strick fire near the top of the ridge, and by the way Frenchtown Fire was not the investigators. And why do you say they turned down help…nothing is futher from the truth. Chief Waldron was begging for resources and if memory serves me right there were other fires that took prior over a small fire in the top of a ridge….such as Seeley Lake was burning up and many more prior fire in the state. I am also a tax payer and I guess you may have a huge ranch or something and pay alot of taxes, but I pay less than $150.00 a year for fire protection and I consider that no more than the beer my husband drink in a month.
To get back to the Evaro Station and no equipment…there too you need to get the facts…there is a new engine as we speak at FRFD station 2 in Evaro, and may i say with no volunteers in the Evaro area for responce that new truck will just sit there. Maybe your community should think about volunteering and go through the training that is needed to fight these fires. The unacceptable part of this whole thing is the community bitching about not having equipment in a station in an area that have no volunteers.
What is wrong with a man that has been a Fire Chief for 20 years recieving alittle praise for a job well done, or GLORY as you call it.
as HJOHN has the so called facts that the fire was a mile from the end of the road??????? the cat and truck were within 100 yards of the fire and the frenchtown fire truck was setting across the draw from them for most of the day. Oh by the way this is on vidio tape for any one to look at. OPG of missoula is at it the same as always, they are having Waldron enforce opg and his laws that they made up to make more money for themselves and show that they are more powerful than us normal people. Waldron started out at frenctown as a decent person an then got a big head and thought he was GOD and still does. The OPG is the same treating the people of Missoula county the same way and if you argue with the they send you a threatening letter they are turning you over to the county atty. office. It would be nice if we had some some tax payer payed people in Missoula that had to pay for their own lawyers and we the people could use the county attys. office that WE pay for.