Fire chief: teamwork key as department moves forward

Thursday meeting draws new volunteers

Every seat at the table was taken and the need for additional locker space was addressed at the Town of Plains Volunteer Fire Department meeting Thursday - small indications the tide may be turning for the once-struggling department under the leadership of veteran firefighter and recently appointed department chief Larry Ballantyne.

"Basically, we're looking at putting a new department together," said Ballantyne, adding, "we're all in this together."

The organizational meeting last week drew about a dozen individuals with wide-ranging firefighting experience. Some were returning to the department and others were new volunteers, but everyone in attendance said they were interested in serving the community.

Ballantyne said the department is well on its way to becoming a "crackerjack outfit" capable of working together and offering a critical volunteer service to the town.

The department's dwindling membership reached a breaking point with the December retirement of Chief Eric Meckler. With the appointment of Ballantyne, a former town fire department member with 21 years of state and federal wildland experience through his tenure with the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Mayor Mike Brinson and council members expressed hope the new chief could bolster department membership and draw former firefighters back to the group.

Nick Lawyer, trained as a professional firefighter and medic and one of two applicants for the chief post, has joined the department. He and other new recruits at the meeting filled out applications, and Ballantyne then discussed a draft of an operations plan addressing the department's objectives and expectations.

He said he will provide the document to the town council in January and hopes to have a final version in place the following month. Ballantyne touched on the group's mission statement, volunteer training, equipment and procedures, and asked the volunteers to review the document and provide input.

Ballantyne said establishing the department's command structure - which will include the installation of safety and training officers - is a work in progress, but Tom Wurtz was appointed assistant chief and Brandi Wurtz retained her position as a captain.

The group discussed the department's rescue van. Ballantyne said the van is primarily used for calls beyond city limits, and questioned whether the van should be loaned or given to the rural fire department or ambulance service.

Ballantyne said he will make after action reviews - an analysis of incidents to which the department responds - a part of the group's regular meetings. Joe Sheppard, who previously served on the department for 14 years, but resigned about two years ago, was tasked with constructing new lockers for the growing department.