Farm406

39 farm406 In 2017, hundreds of Montana fires, either human- or lightning-caused, scorched about 1.3 million acres. State and federal incident teams converged to fight the largest blazes. But for those responding within minutes to smoke and flames, the urgent priority is the neighbor's fire that will not wait for outside help. The state's Department of Natural Resources and Conservation described 97 percent of the reported 2017 fires as 10 acres or fewer. An unknown number of similarly small fires were extinguished in the harvest or hay field by vigilant and prepared ag operators. Of the 4,000-plus firefighters counted at Montana fires last year, most were volunteers from fire departments like those serving Big Sandy and other rural towns. Volunteers staff more than 90 percent of the state's fire departments. Not included in such statistics are the farmers and ranchers who instinctively help neighbors stop fires, save livestock, move farm machinery, and otherwise protect lives and property, often alongside their local volunteer fire departments. The fire district tasked to the Big Sandy Volunteer Fire Department (BSVFD) covers about one-third of Chouteau County's 4,000 square miles, from the Marias River east to Rocky Boy's Reservation in the Bear Paw Mountains and north from the Missouri River to Hill and Blaine counties. It overlays agricultural landscapes of prairies, river breaks, and hillsides thick with quick fuels for wildfire pushed by wind. Typical BSVFD dispatches can be 30, maybe 80 miles from the fire station on the edge of town. In 2017 Big Sandy responded to 34 calls, not an unusual number according to Larry Ophus, BSVFD chief since 1993. "We were relatively fortunate; it was not our worst year. The public here is very good about watching for fires starting … a big help, because they can get us out there faster. And our 9-1-1 system [now with mapping] is so much more accurate than in the past. Once you see the smoke, you can weave your way into it quickly. Also, neighbors are very good at helping neighbors." With nearby farmers/ranchers usually first at a fire, Ophus, who has been with BSVFD since 1975, knows that immediately coalescing as a single-focus team is important: "We know all of them. Generally, they will do what we ask. [BSVFD] tries to anchor off where it is already burned black, so others can follow us to clean up … or if they have a disc [hooked to a tractor], if they coordinate with us it is much safer for everyone." The previous fire chief, Raymond Courtnage, has fought fires with BSVFD for over 46 years. He is keenly aware that every ag-related fire has potential to explode, and that "if you have a roaring fire and the winds are roaring, it is always hard to plan your initial attack." The region's winds can be the single greatest challenge, and why no one here with any fire savvy hesitates to extinguish flames during summer. "Our farmers are doing a really good job fighting fires, and every year gets better as they get bigger [water- hauling] equipment for spraying chemfallow," says Courtnage. "Farmers' newer [water] trucks often carry powerful pumps with greater output than some of the department's trucks. And you can't beat a tractor pulling a good disc. When fire gets into tall wheat, you can't do much else to stop it." Farmers' capacity to store and transport large amounts of water tied to the area's no-till farming has been a major step forward in fighting wildfires. BSVFD truck tanks can be empty within 20 minutes at a fire. Although there is a county tanker parked in Fort Benton, the Big Sandy crews instead rely on farmers' resources to keep trucks pumping. Ag producers' fire readiness, especially during harvest, has definitely advanced beyond covering tailpipes with window screen or tying five-gallon buckets with wet burlap sacks atop combines. Grain carts and larger trucks with vertical exhausts also have noticeably Wind-blown power lines arced to ignite a farmyard fire that destroyed outbuildings, pasture, fences, and part of a vintage vehicle collection. A BSVFD firefighter (center) was one of dozens of neighbors who fought the fire in darkness and strong winds.

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