Bear Paw fire department raising a new fire hall

Editor's note: This version corrects the captions with the photos and that the Havre Elks Lodge #1201 has been a major supporter of the department.

Bear Paw Volunteer Fire Department is in the process of raising money to set up a new fire hall in the Havre area, which their fire chief and board members say will improve operations, save them money on equipment repairs and significantly improve morale.

Bear Paw Volunteer Fire Department Chief Josh Bebee said the building itself has already been ordered from Clausen and Sons and the materials are being stored away from the site, obtained in a deal with Clyde R. Thomas. The site still needs to have an approach built and dirt leveled.

However, Bebee said, they still need between $100,000 and $150,000 to pour concrete, install heating and generally make the building practically usable.

He said the primary utility of the fire hall would be to store vehicles and equipment during the winter, making sure they aren't damaged by the elements, something that is difficult for the department at the moment.

He said the department has vehicles scattered across their coverage area, which means they're response times are excellent, but in the winter it's difficult to find places to store the vehicles properly, which inevitably leads to breakages and malfunctions that cost the department time and money.

"It never fails. We get calls in the winter and then you're scrambling," he said.

Bear Paw Volunteer Fire Department Treasurer Brad Gregoire said it will also provide a space for the department to run trainings, hold meetings, and store historical documents about their department, as well as keep records in one place.

Bear Paw Volunteer Fire Department Board Vice-President Mike Moore said it will also provide a space for department events like barbecues and bring members of the department together.

They all said the hall will do wonders not just for the efficiency of the department, but be a huge morale boost.

Bebee said the efforts to get a fire hall for the department have been going on for more than a decade, essentially starting with former Bear Paw Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief Giles Gregoire, Brad Gregoire's grandfather, who left the department thousands of dollars when he died.

Brad Gregoire, said that money was put into a fund to accrue interest as the department pursued other ways of funding the project.

"He always wanted to have a fire hall," Gregoire said "... When he passed away, he left the department $50,000 because he wanted to see the department have a building."

Bebee said the department has put in a grant application to the Browning Kimball Foundation, which has been generous to the department in the past, and he's hoping that will cover the majority of the remaining costs for setting the building up, but donations will likely be needed to finish the project.

Board members said the Havre Elks Lodge $1201 and individual donors has also been very generous to the department in the past.

Bebee said the department is holding a raffle that started at National Night Out and will end Nov. 20 with a drawing at Old Station Brewery, which has agreed to do a dollar-pint night for them and will hopefully be hosting live music during the event as well.

Gregoire said they are also hoping to raise some extra funds with their normal donation requests this year.

He said the department is completely reliant on donated funds and increasing operations costs have been forced them to start asking for more money during their yearly donation ask this year, raising the suggested donation from $50 to $75.

These requests are sent to all landowners in their coverage area, and while they didn't make as much as they wanted at first, Gregoire said, they decided to send out a second round of requests in case anyone missed the first, and the results helped them significantly.

"It's all gonna depend on the grants and donations," Bebee said.

Gregoire said some still chose not to donate, but many of those who did donated well over the recommended amount and they all really help the department out.

Despite the generosity of the community, Bebee said, a lot is riding on the grant.

He said if they can raise the funds in time and the grant works out, they might be able to finish the dirt work and install the approach for the building this fall and pour concrete in the spring, but if they don't get this grant they may be looking at a year-long delay.

He said they'll know if they got the grant and how much they get in October of this year.