Fire,
Grass,
Mud,
Blood.
The Montana
Volunteer
Firefighter
w w w. d i s t i n c t ly mo nt a na .co m
By
Buck
Taylor
I
n Montana, there are roughly 9,500
men and women who lead double
lives. Chances are you might know
one of them. Their everyday existence
of mending fence, coaching kids' soccer
or taking a shower can, and will at some
point, be rudely interrupted by the incessant chirping of a pager on their belts.
Yes, pagers still exist and they summon those who protect
us from just about everything we fear: vehicle accidents,
wildfires, heart attacks and our houses burning down.
They are part of a proud tradition performing a job for
which most will not see a nickel even when they run out
on a work meeting or miss tending to a lame horse.
They are Montana's volunteer firefighters.
What drives people to put themselves in harm's way for no
pay, poor working conditions and disruption of family life
and regular routines?
Part of it certainly is the rush — the uncertainty of what
will happen next. Or maybe it's the comraderie felt by the
carpenter, engineer, and retired farmer crammed together
in the back of a truck at zero dark thirty wearing 40 pounds
of gear trundling off to a stranger's cry for help. Or perhaps
it's that seemingly old-fashioned notion of building community from the ground-up, meeting the basic needs of
neighbors on the worst day of their lives.
photos
by
ashley
stevick
83
