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April 19, 2012 I The Lovell Chronicle I 3
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FIREMEN continued from page1
continued from page 1
IT TAKES A VILLAGE
Local plants support
the operation by allowing
their employees to leave
their jobs to respond to a
fire, and some of them even
continue paying the em-
ployee while he is volun-
teering on a fire.
"The sugar factory and
the bentonite plants espe-
cially are good about letting
the guys respond to fires,"
said Mangus. "If they didn't
do that, we couldn't operate
like we do. A lot of our vol-
unteer workforce comes out
of local plants, so it's a big
deal. So, if they didn't let
them go, we'd be hurting."
"We also have a great
fire board - Keith Grant,
Chad Petrich and Mike
Leonhardt - who support
us all the way. That real-
ly helps a lot," added Min-
chow.
Wives and other family
members also make the sac-
rifice when their loved ones
are called away from family
gatherings to respond to a
page from the fire hall.
"A lot of people say,
'you guys are crazy' because
while everybody else is run-
ning out of the fire we're
running in," said Mangus.
"I remember years ago
we were in a riverbed fire
that was just roaring and
we were running in, while
all of the animals, like
pheasants and foxes, were
running out of the fire,"
added Minchow. "It did
seem crazy at the time."
The all-volunteer team
is currently at 29 members.
Most have served as many
as 30 years or more. The
volunteers receive a nomi-
nal stipend of $10 per fire.
"If you're into this for
the money, you're into
it for the wrong reason,"
said Minchow. "People are
here because they want to
be. There's, of course, the
adrenalin rush of jumping
on a fire truck and going to
a fire but there is also the
feeling of teamwork and the
satisfaction of helping the
community."
It's this type of gratifi- :
cation, combined with an
incredible sense of camara-
derie, that makes positions
on the team highly sought
after.
"We usually try to wait
until we have about four
openings because it takes
a lot of time to train them," ~:
said Minchow. "Last time
we had openings we had
nine applicants for fot{r po-
sitions."
Kevin Jones and Lynn
Hitz act as training officers.
The district sets up realis ....
tic training exercises to pre- • ....
pare its men for very real
situations. Two training ex-
ercises took place ,this past
week alone, including one
at the high school and an-
other where Mangus actu-
ally set an old house on fire
to give volunteers an op-
portunity to practice their
skills while putting it out.
To apply, applicants
must be healthy and at
least 21 years of age.
There's a minimum of 100
hours of training in the first
year and rookies work un-
der supervision. In the first
year, rookies are sent to fire
school in either Riverton or
Cody. According to Mangus,
it costs the district about
$3,000 to outfit one volun-
teer with special clothing
and equipment.
"If they say they are
only planning on staying for
about four or five years we
won't even consider them,"
said Mangus. "It's just not
worth all the training and
expense."
Although volunteers
can't respond to every sin-
gle page, it is expected that
they will respond to most.
"That's why we have 30
guys on the team, because
we hope 20 of them can get
here," said Mangus
Volunteers carry pag-
ers, and it's not uncommon
for the first truck to hit the
road within about a minute
of the page.
The district has secured
$2 million to $3 million in
grants to purchase equip-
Bob Mangus and Mike Jameson set up fans to control
the direction of the fire inside a burning house
during a training session held on Monday night on
the Emblem Highway.
Annual operating cost
of the district is somewhere
from $160,000 to $200,000.
The cost is much higher
during years when equip-
ment is purchased. The
district pays from $3.6,000
to $38,000 to use dispatch
services in the area. Only
one employee is paid to do
the bookkeeping, facilities
and maintenance, and even
that person volunteers to go
on calls.
In recent years, the dis-
trict has expanded its ser-
vices from 250 square miles
to close to 600.
THE GRATIFICATION OF
HELPING OTHERS
"It makes you feel good
when you walk away after
cutting somebody out of a
car, or saving their life, or
saving their home," said
Minchow. "Whether it's
saving a house or saving a
life, it's all good."
ment and to expand the fire
hall facility. Minchow and
Mangus have also taken ad-
vantage of grant opportuni-
ties to help pay for training
its volunteers.
"When we're select-
ing these people (volun-
teers) we're not just pick-
ing the everyday person,"
said Mangus. "We want
somebody who can actual-
ly make a decision on their
own, because we can't be
there all the time and we
can't be in the fire sitting
on their back shoulder tell-
ing them what to do. We
can only train them well
and hope they remember
what we taught them."
"In the last round of in-
terviews, we were trying to
select the best for the four
positions that were avail-
able," added Minchow.
"The biggest thing we
face is the amount of time
it takes to attend meetings,
......... i~i~ii~i~ii!i:~:=i~?~ill:
Michael Jameson and Lynn Hitz carry a dummy
victim out of a burning house during the training
exercise held at an abandoned house on the Emblem
Highway on Monday night.
trainings, etc.," said Man-
gus. "It's not just about go-
ing out on fires. There's a
lot more to it."
The amount of time a
volunteer spends depends
on the number of calls the
district receives. Accord-
ing to Mangus, one year the
department received 145
calls, while another year
they received 90. Last year
at this time in April the
district was up to 15 calls;
this year the district has al-
ready received more than
40. The average number of
calls per year is about 100.
EDUCATION IN
SCHOOLS
The district also pro-
vides valuable training in
local schools and even pre-
schools that can p0tentiai-
ly save lives because the
children are informed and
know how to respond.
In one instance, a girl
saved her family many
years later as a result of the
knowledge gained from one
of those early school ses-
sions right here in Lovell.
The girl was the first in her
family to detect a fire in
the house. Using the infor-
mation she learned from a
program she attended as a
Lovell Elementary School
student, she was able to
save her entire family by
acting as a leader in their
escape from their burning
home.
"This is what it's all
about and I am really proud
of this part of our work,"
said Minchow, who received
calls from other fire dis-
tricts in the state asking
about the program the girl
went through as a child.
BARBEQUES,
BREAKFAST AND
FOOD BASKETS
The Fire Hall facility is
used by .many other orga-
nizations for meetings and
blood drives, and the volun-
teers provide other services
to the community.
Most of the volunteers
stick with the crew for
many years, and there is
very little turnover. It's not
at all uncommon for sons
and even grandsons to fol-
low in the footsteps of their
fathers and grandfathers.
Most of the volunteers
are close friends and the
camaraderie of the crew is
second to none.
Jeremy Mangus is fol-
lowing in the footsteps of
his father Bob. Jeremy has
been on the crew for about
a year now. Part of the deci-
sion to join was that his fa-
ther inspired him, part of it
was for the "pure adrenalin
rush" and part of it was a
genuine desire to serve his
community.
Greg Rael is a rookie
fireman. He joined the crew
a month ago at the encour-
agement of friends who are
also crew members.
"I like the idea of serv-
ing the community," said
Rael. "I have a lot of friends
on the crew and it's fun to
be a part of this."
Although he has gone
out on quite a few fire calls
already, Rael mostly ob-
serves while he learns from
the more experienced mere-
bers.
"I've learned a lot on
every call," said Rael. "
Every call has been like a
cram session. Most of all,
I've learned to follow direc-
tions."
Rael is learning to drive
the trucks, to use the hos-
es and other equipment.
He will attend fire school in
Cody in the near future. He
loves it when he gets a call
and is disappointed if he
doesn't make it on a truck.
"We try to get our new
guys out to as many calls
as we can, so they can learn
by doing," said Mangus.
"That's where you get your
real training, when you're
out on a fire."
A single rookie is put on
a truck with others who are
very experienced.
'Tour older firemen, who
have been on the crew for
a while, tutor these young
guys as they are going to
the fire," explained Mangus.
'qWe depend on those guys
not to put rookies in a situ-
ation that they shouldn't be
in. Someday those rookies
will have enough experience
to be the ones who teach
other rookies."
"The camaraderie,
the ability to serve and to
give back to the communi-
ty is what it's all about for
me," said Rael. "It's a great
learning experience, too."
Editor's note: This is Part
1 of a two-part series on
volunteerism in the com-
munity. Part 2 will feature
volunteers from other orga-
nizations in the community.
Suggestions are welcome,
contact Patti at lcnews@tc-
twest.net or call the Chron-
icle at 548-2217, if you
would like to recommend a
person or organization to be
included in the article.
runway; however, some additional land would be needed
to be obtained from the BLM. The letter to Feick states
that one of the focuses in updating the North Big Horn:
County Airport Master Plan is to determine "additional fa-
cilities needed to accommodate the increasing use by non-
powered glider aircraft at the airport. These aircraft land:
better on soft areas (turf or dirt). To accommodate this
traffic the best alternative found will be to add a parallel
runway on the northeast side of the existing paved run-
way. FAA standards dictate that this parallel facility is lo-i
cated at least 600 feet from centerline to centerline. With'
the larger wingspans of the gliders, we would like to pos-
sibly increase that separation further.
"To accommodate the runway and meet the minimum
FAA standards, the runway encroaches upon BLM land.
To further complicate the issue, the runway will also re-
quire the relocation of a dirt haul road also on the BLM
tract."
In addition, the county asked to discuss with the BLM
acquiring a small tract of BLM land directly in the ap-
proach path for the crosswind runway at the south of the
airport.
The letter was sent April 5.
In other airport news, the new snowplow and broom
has been delivered to the South Big Horn County Airport.
He said the supplier was nine days late from the contract
deadline. He said the contract agreement allows the coun-
ty to assess liquidated damages of $200 per day. He said
his recommendation and the recommendation of GDA is to
waive those since there was no impact to the county.
The commissioners waived the liquidated damages.
The county also received several letters from Virgin-
ia Lee, attorney for Harold Shepherd, a lessee for salvage
operation at the south airport. He said one letter was in
regarding proof of liability insurance. The proof that was
provided was for a trucking company, not for the salvage
operation at the airport.
"So currently we still don't have an insurance poll:
cy that meets the requirements of the lease agreement,"
Bridges said.
Another correspondence was a request from Lee for
a list of fees, business partnership agreement with B&G,
among other documents. He said they are putting together
the information except the asset agreement between Great
American and Hawkins and Powers.
A letter dated Monday, Bridges said, has 13 items that
Shepherd through his attorney wants addressed. Commis-
sioner Keith Grant said he was concerned about the mill-
ings request, stating, "We never promised millings for the
entire area." Bridges agreed that millings would be pro-
vided for only a few spots.
He said another request is to extend the reduced lease:
rate for another two years starting in November. He said
the lease is due in April. The county provided the initial
reduced rate for two years to allow Shepherd time to make
improvements to his lease area.
Grant said the county did not charge a lease fee until
the access road was complete but that Shepherd had ac-
cess to the area to begin improvements. "I don't see any-
thing in here that shows we should grant an extension."
Bridges asked about the timeline to transition to the
new airport manager Carl Meyer and Grant said he un-
derstood Meyer wason vacation this week so it would still
be a while.
"We appreciate him taking this on and getting us out
of a bind," Grant said.
Bridges said, "I don't-~tnind workAng on the airports,
but there are still some things that need work that we
don't have the time for and having a full-time manager
will help move those things along."
continued from page I
approximately 40 years and that it must be retained, as no
more dam construction is being allowed. As well, allowing
silt into the reservoir could result in the endof the fish-
cry. The topsoil could be used by the area bentonite mining
concerns, which are interested in the project because they
are required by law to restore the areas they mine.
During the Lovell meeting, Rep. Elaine Harvey (R-Dis-
trict 26) said that she is intensely interested in formulat-
ing solutions to the sediment problem. She stressed that
with all the interagency partners in the interest group, in-
cluding the Corps of Engineers, it should be relatively easy
to move toward realization of the project. Harvey also not-
ed that the bentonite miners need to be included as part-
ners and that BLM definitely should be heavily involved,
as reclaimed sediment would go onto its land.
"Everybody has something to gain by working togeth-
er," observed Harvey. Besides the BoR, Corp of Engineers,
BLM and bentonite miners, the interest group is com-
prised of, but not limited to, the Montana and Wyoming
fish and game agencies, National Park Service, Western
Area Power Administration, Bureau of Indian Affairs and
the Crow Tribe.
Regarding the Crow, Duberstein updated the group
in Lovell that roughly $460 million has been indicated by
Congress as forthcoming allocations under the Crow Wa-
ter Settlement Act of 2010 to benefit the tribe during the
next few years. Funds would be used to design and build
a new water system, rehabilitate and operate the reser-
vation's dilapidated irrigation system and develop hydro-
electric projects at the Yellowtail Afferbay Dam. The set-
tlement includes the 1999 Crow Tribe's "Montana Water
Right Compact" that gives the Crow Reservation rights to
500,000 acre-feet of water per year from the Big Horn Riv-
er and 300,000 acre-feet per year from Big Horn Lake.
It was noted that the Big Horn River System Issues
Group meets twice annually, alternating between Lovelt
in April and Billings in October. Additionally, representa-
tives of the agencies and others, known as stakeholders,
conduct monthly conference calls during winter months,
and weekly or twice monthly from April through Septem-
ber. The overall intent is to ensure that all involved are
aware of problems and plans for solutions, all aimed at the
Big Horn economic and recreational aspects. It was noted
that the diverse group strives for communication and joint
respect including openness to public comment. For addi-
tional information, one source is usbr.gov/gp/mtao/yellow,
tail/bighorn_longterm.cfm.
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