Original Fire Station 1 (1950's)
HISTORY
Original Fire Station 1 (1950's)
Current Fire Station 1
234 Holloway Lane, Florence, MT 59833
Current Fire Station 2
562 Hidden Valley Drive North, Florence, MT 59833
The Florence Rural Fire District (FRFD) was founded in 1947 to serve the greater Florence area in Western Montana, 20 miles South of Missoula.
The first Fire Chief J. F. Wemple, kept the fire truck, a 1934 Chevrolet in a bay at his repair shop. The department was formally organized according to state standards in 1953. The first officers were Chief: J.F. Wemple, and Assistant Chief: Clyde Schrecekendgust. The Board of Trustees were Arthur Olson, Lloyd Heggen and Don Hill. During the term of our second fire chief, Lloyd Heggen, the department moved into a two bay building near the site of the present fire station. This building had no heat or electricity. A military surplus deuce and half and an M37 were also added to the fleet.
The department built a new station on the current site at 234 Holloway Lane in 1970. This station was replaced in September 2009 with the current structure which has 5000 square feet of apparatus bay floor, 4800 square feet of meeting and training room plus a large modern kitchen and offices on the main floor. There is a 3000 square foot physical fitness area and a storage area on the second floor.
With the continued growth in the fire district, a second station was built on Hidden Valley Drive North on the East side of Florence and was opened in 2014. This new station will provide a much faster response time to calls on the east side of Florence, and will provide additional space for apparatus. This station will also assist the department in being able to lower its insurance rating to the Florence area, providing a savings on fire insurance to homeowners who are served by the Fire District.
The Florence Rural Fire District covers an area approximately 65 square miles and serves a population of approximately 7,000. Members of the FRFD respond to over 400 calls per year, handling structure fires, wildland fires, vehicle fires, medical emergencies and physical rescues and other emergency and non - emergency calls. Medical related calls account for approximately 80% of the calls handled.
The department currently operates out of two fire stations, Station 1 at 234 Holloway Lane and Station 2 at 562 Hidden Valley Drive North. We have over 40 dedicated volunteer members available to handle calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We operate seven fire engines, two water tenders, one rescue, one ambulance and two command vehicles.