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Further protection of our environment and the lives and property of citizens within the Whitefish Fire Service Area.
WFSA Plan for County Commisioners
2026
The Whitefish Fire Service Area Board will be presenting this plan to the County Commissioners in the Spring of 2026. The Whitefish Fire Service Area Board (WFSA Board) sees increased fire potential in the area, an undersized response team, a funding gap compared to regional areas, and public demands for increased fire service. This request to the County Commissioners will address these concerns and propose a solution.
The Issues the WFSA Faces
Funding Lag
The WFSA did not raise rates to keep up with inflation or increasing area needs due to increasing population growth and new infrastruture. The lag in raises leaves funding under developed.
Under-Staffed Response Team
The Whitefish Fire Department (which partners with the WFSA) only has staff to respond to one call at a time. This leaves the area exposed and relies on mutual aid calls during a growing number of incidents with 2 or more calls.
Oversized Area
The WFSA is the largest Fire Service Area in Montana. It encompasses a complicated area with disconnected neighborhoods, dispersed population centers, and limited water supplies to fight fire.
Rising Fire Potential
Fire is a natural cylce in nature and develoment in the forested areas in the WFSA interupted that cycle. While nothing has burned, fuel sources have accumulated and caused an increased fire potential in the WFSA.
Outpaced Regional Comparison
The amount of money spent on fire service in the WFSA is the lowest in Montana. The disparity between the need for fire fighting resources, the high fire potential, and the low funding is not fair to WFSA residents.
Public Demands Action
Over the past several years, the WFSA has listened to countless WFSA residents experiencing problems with insurance due to fire concerns, residents concerned about wild fire, and residents who are concerned the risk of slow response times to fires. The public has given the WFSA Board a mandate to improve fire service in the are.
Increasing Fire Service
The Whitefish Fire Service Area Board is committed to improving fire service and serving property owners in the WFSA. To do this, the WFSA Board is proposing to:
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Enable the City of Whitefish to respond to multiple fire and medical emergency calls simultaneously. This meets a need identified by the City of Whitefish Fire Chief, Chief Hadley, and the City of Whitefish City Manager, Dana Meeker.
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Provide funding to support four firefighters employed by the City of Whitefish, thereby achieving point 1. This will help ensure multiple responses can be handled inside the WFSA.
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Begin a fund for increased fire service through (a) a new station and (b) remodeling Station #22. These two priorities will enable the WFSA to start the process of building response teams to respond to more of the WFSA.
Proposals for the County Comissioners
To address the issues the WFSA is facing and achieve the goals laid out to improve fire service in the area, the Whitefish Fire Service Area needs to increase funding. The WFSA Board is asking the County Commisioners to approve one of these two plans for increased funding.
Plan A
$420 Plan
Plan A will add $762,000* to the WFSA annual budget. It requests that the County Commissioners increase the annual fee for fire service from $180/year to $420/year. All properties, regardless of property value, would pay the same rate.
Plan B
Graduated Increase
Plan B will add $643,576 to the WFSA annual budget. This plan asks the County Commisioners to approve a plan that increases the WFSA annual fee according to an agreed upon schedule based on property value.
*Final values will depend on the final number of properties in the WFSA. This number changes frequently, so values here are estimates based on the property count inside the WFSA in February 2026.
How Much Will I Pay?
Taxable Value | Plan A - $420 Plan | Plan B - Graduated Fee | Fee In Kalispell | Fee in Evergreen | Fee in Columbia Falls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 - 999 | $420.00 | $180.00 | |||
1000 - 2999 | $420.00 | $216.00 | |||
3000 - 4999 | $420.00 | $252.00 | |||
5000 - 6999 | $420.00 | $288.00 | |||
7000 - 8999 | $420.00 | $324.00 | |||
9000 - 10999 | $420.00 | $360.00 | |||
11000 - 12999 | $420.00 | $414.00 | |||
13000 - 14999 | $420.00 | $450.00 | |||
15000 - 16999 | $420.00 | $486.00 | |||
17000 - 18999 | $420.00 | $540.00 | |||
19000 - 22999 | $420.00 | $594.00 | |||
23000 - 26999 | $420.00 | $648.00 | |||
27000 - 32999 | $420.00 | $684.00 | |||
33000 - 38999 | $420.00 | $720.00 | |||
39000 - 49999 | $420.00 | $782.60 | |||
50000 - 59999 | $420.00 | $828.00 | |||
60000 - 69999 | $420.00 | $882.00 | |||
70000 - 89999 | $420.00 | $936.00 | |||
90000 - 119999 | $420.00 | $990.00 | |||
120000 - > | $420.00 | $1,044.00 |
Graduated Fee Schedule
Taxable Value Brackets | Fee Multiplier | New Fee |
|---|---|---|
$0 - $999,999 | x1 | $180.00 |
$1,000,000 - $2,999,999 | x1.2 | $216.00 |
$3,000,000 - $4,999,999 | x1.4 | $252.00 |
$5,000,000 - $6,999,999 | x1 | $288.00 |
$7,000,000 - $8,999,999 | x1.6 | $324.00 |
$9,000,000 - $10,999,999 | x2.0 | $360.00 |
$11,000,000 - $12,999,999 | x2.3 | $414.00 |
$13,000,000 - $14,999,999 | x2.5 | $450.00 |
$15,000,000 - $16,999,999 | x2.7 | $486.00 |
$17,000,000 - $18,999,999 | x3 | $540.00 |
$19,000,000 - $22,999,999 | x3.3 | $594.00 |
$23,000,000 - $26,999,999 | x3.6 | $648.00 |
$27,000,000 - $32,999,999 | x3.9 | $684.00 |
$33,000,000 - $38,999,999 | x4.2 | $720.00 |
$39,000,000 - $49,999,999 | x4.5 | $782.60 |
$50,000,000 - $59,999,999 | x4.8 | $828.00 |
$60,000,000 - $69,999,999 | x5.1 | $882.00 |
$70,000,000 - $89,999,999 | x5.4 | $936.00 |
$90,000,000 - $119,999,999 | x5.6 | $990.00 |
$120,000,000- > | x5.8 | $1,044.00 |