Panel OKs dissolution of CVFSA
<p>Bull Lake Fire Chief Clyde Miller pleads for compassion for what he calls the brotherhood of firefighters.</p>
<p>Tony Berget, left, Marianne Roose and Ron Downey made the final decision to do away with CVFSA. </p>
<p>CVFSA resident Donna Shkursky stressed the importance of the department.</p>
<p>Cabinet View Fire Service Area Board of Trustees Chairman Bill Clark, standing center, addresses the commissioners. Clark asked Commissioners whether they would forego the phone number requirement for petitioners, stating some of the people out there do not have phones. </p>
<p>Robert Mast contemplates the loss of CVFSA</p>
It was an action that surprised no one.
Lincoln County Commissioners, shortly after 11:12 a.m. Wednesday, voted unanimously to honor the petition signed by 30 landowners in the Cabinet View Fire Service Area.
Troy Commissioner Ron Downey made the motion, which was seconded by Libby Commissioner Tony Berget. On the vote, Presiding Commissioner Marianne Roose voted “aye” to make it unanimous.
The jampacked Commissioners Meeting Room was reminiscent of how it was weeks ago, when the trio accepted the petition for dissolution. In between, there was a hearing in the Ponderosa Room at City Hall — again with standing room only.
When the vote came Wednesday, there still were comments seeking a resolution, but mostly this was a different crowd, one almost resolved that now the Commissioners had made their decision, and now there was work to do.
“It is the Commissioners’ chosen course,” said Cabinet View FSA Board of Trustees Chairman Bill Clark.
“And, we are almost relieved. It’s now out of their hands. The decision, our fate, is now in a better place, in the hands of the public,” Clark said.
“We will show that we have more support for our Fire Service Area than the 30 signatures it took to get the petition.”
The Western News sought a definitive number of signatures needed but was unable to determine that number by press time.
In pursuing the petition for dissolution, Berget cited three reasons:
• Refusal to comply with Montana law – CVFSA’s leadership demanded to be dispatched as first responder to all medical calls in the CVFSA. However, to do so, CVFSA was required to obtain licensure from the state Department of Public Health and Human Services. Berget said CVFSA refused to obtain that licensure and continued to self-dispatch to all such calls, despite DPHHS’ March 9, 2011, letter demading it cease.
• Failure to work cooperatively with other emergency service providers – Historically, CVFSA worked closely and cooperatively, Berget said, with Libby Volunteer Ambulance and Libby Volunteer Fire Department. In fact, LVFD was an integral part in CVFSA’s creation and obtaining of ISO (insurance) certification. However, CVFSA’s new leadership has exhibited an unwillingness to work cooperatively with LVFD and LVA.
• Refusal to comply with Lincoln County’s lawful requests – On Feb. 13, Lincoln County requested that CVFSA and CVFD cease self-dispatching to incidents beyond the scope for which CVFSA was created, which was structural-fire protection only, Berget said. Since sending that letter, CVFD has self-dispatched to at least two incidents of which Lincoln County is aware.
Clearly, CVFSA officials already have made plans to appeal the decision, and here is the Protest Protocol, which must be received in the form of a petition from properpty owners within the FSA:
• All protests must be in writing and sent to the Lincoln County Commissioners, attention Bill Bischoff, before Aug. 14;
• Those protest must contain the a.) full name/signature of the protestor sufficient to identify the individual; b.) address of the protestor; 3.) phone number of the protestor, and 4) date on which the protest was made by the protestor.
• Should anyone who signs any such protest wish to remove their name from that protest, they must notify the Lincoln Coiunty Commissioners, attention Bill Bischoff, in writing before Aug. 14. That removal notice must contain their a.) name-signature sufficient to identify the individual, b.) address, c.) phone number, and d.) the date of their intent to remove their name from any protest.
CVFSA has 60 days in which to protest the Commissioners decision.
After the vote, Roose said the decision was not an easy one.
“A lot of pain went into this decision,” Roose said. “It just feels like there is this inability to work together.”
Roose said there would be attempts during the next 60 days to get the groups to work together to hammer out a resolution.
Wednesday afternoon, Patty Rambo, a resident of the CVFSA, said she is committed to bringing the sides together and working for a resolution with which all sides could be comfortable.
On deadline, a time and place for the meeting had not been set.