05/27/2026
As Fire Chief Dustin Tetrault enters his final week with the Big Sky Fire Department after almost eight years of service to the organization, we want to recognize and thank him for the significant impact he has had on our department, our personnel, and the Big Sky community.
Chief Tetrault first joined the organization as the department’s first Deputy Chief of Community Risk Management, where he helped build what would become the Community Risk Reduction (CRR) Division and the Wildfire Division from the ground up. Under his leadership, the department developed its first fee and permit program, implemented data-driven CRR initiatives, and created programs focused on proactive risk reduction and community safety.
Chief Tetrault also established the department’s wildfire mitigation program, which has grown into a comprehensive division supporting defensible space, home risk assessments, fuels reduction, and community wildfire resilience efforts throughout Big Sky. In addition, he developed the department’s wildfire deployment program and helped build it into the successful and respected program it is today, while also creating the department’s seasonal wildfire module.
Throughout his tenure, Chief Tetrault secured hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant funding, authored the department’s Strategic Community Risk Reduction Plan and Strategic Plan, and played a key role in innovative projects that will have a lasting impact on the community. One of those accomplishments includes helping develop and pass the Rural Improvement District that is funding the future Station 3 in Spanish Peaks.
Beyond his work within the organization, Chief Tetrault completed both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees while serving on numerous local, regional, and statewide committees, projects, and working groups focused on strengthening the fire service, emergency management, and wildfire resilience.
The Big Sky Fire Department is grateful for Chief Tetrault’s dedication, leadership, and years of service to this organization and community. We thank him for his contributions and wish him and his family the very best in the next chapter of their journey.
