Tri-Lakes Volunteer Fire Department

08/31/2026

Our Trustees will be meeting tomorrow, September 1 at 3200 Spokane Creek Road at 7pm for their monthly business meeting.

Public comment in accordance with §2-3-103, MCA

Minutes from previous meeting(s): Glenn Henderson

Treasurer’s report: Sarah Diehl

Chief’s Report: Marc Weniger

Old business:
Colorado Timberwolf Truck Update -
Sale of 6825 spare engine. – Mark Meyer has an update
DNRC 90/10 Grant – Update/discussion
Fee Increase – has been approved!
Storage Unit Water Supply – Power responsibility discussion
Station 2 Generator /Sewer Repair - Update
Cadet Program – Creating Policy and overseer. SOG’s -
Patient Transport – Waiting answer from St. Peter’s medical director SOG’s – Update
Boat Program Discussion - Update

New business:

Incident Reviews:
Review unusual Medical & Fire incidents. – Marc Weniger

Equipment:
Repairs required:

Station 2 Sewer Line Break – Goob will excavate and repair. May need to replace concrete.

Purchases necessary:
3 Medium MSA Masks $1,450. -

General:
Subdivision Updates –
Current Personnel Issues –

Other New Business Not Listed:
Montana Fire Convention – Delta Hotels, Helena, MT, October 15- 17. – Who would like to go?
DOD Truck Paint Job – Estimated to be $9,000.

08/28/2026

Conditions just aren't where the Chiefs would like them to be to re-open burning. Recent storms have not provided enough wetting moisture to substantially change the fire danger.

08/24/2026

Our department participated in another effort by sending a tender to support these operations. At this time of year, staffing is difficult with seasonal employees returning to school, etc. This is where initiatives like this one, run by Montana DNRC, are bridging the gap.

08/12/2026

This past weekend, we sent a tactical tender with a crew of two to help our neighbors in the south and support the efforts fighting the Sand Creek and Bobcat Lake fires near Dillon.

Edit: The tender was originally asked for 72 hours and we were requested to commit the resource and crew for another 72 hours. As a department that has received assistance from other departments across the state on large fires within our own district, we are proud to be able to support the residents of Beaverhead County during this difficult time.

08/07/2026

...RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT SATURDAY FOR
HOT TEMPERATURES, GUSTY WINDS, AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR FIRE
WEATHER ZONES 116, 117, AND 118...

* AFFECTED AREA...Lincoln Ranger District of the Helena National
Forest, Central and Eastern Lewis and Clark National Forest
Areas and Helena and Townsend Ranger Districts of the Helena
National Forest.

* WINDS...West 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 30 mph.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 10 percent.

* TEMPERATURES...Afternoon temperatures of 90 to 95 degrees.

* IMPACTS...Any fires that develop will spread rapidly.
Containment of any ongoing or new fires may be very difficult.
Outdoor burning is not recommended.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are
either occurring now, or will shortly. A combination of strong
winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can contribute
to extreme fire behavior.

Please advise the appropriate officials or fire crews in these
areas of this Red Flag Warning.

Send a message to learn more

08/02/2026

The Spokane Complex fires are a tragic reminder of the risks we face in this part of the country. Whether you live in the city or the suburbs, the right set of conditions could push a fast-moving wildfire into your neighborhood.

A number of local resources can be found on Lewis and Clark County Emergency Management 's website. https://www.lccountymt.gov/Emergency-Management

Have a plan to evacuate and be prepared for public safety power outages. https://www.mtfireinfo.org/pages/evacuation

Protecting your home begins before the emergency - commit to mitigation efforts on and around your proerty.Tri-County FireSafe Working Group has resources you should check out.

Follow official sources of information and make sure you are signed up for e911 emergency alerts - this ties your physical address to your cell phone, so if you're not at home or your phone is hitting a different tower outside of the emergency alert area, you get notified. https://www.lccountymt.gov/Emergency-Management/Emergency-Notification-Smart911

Emergency management

08/02/2026

There is a post on Nextdoor claiming there is a fire near York. There is no fire near York. Please use official local news sites (Helena Independent Record, KXLH, KTVH, etc), the Lewis & Clark County Sheriff's Office , Lewis and Clark County / City of Helena 911 Center , Lewis and Clark County Emergency Management, Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest , Montana DNRC for your official local emergency updates. To see active fires throughout the state, check out https://www.mtfireinfo.org/pages/0d15f1cf7adf4bf9bed1b82c08d9ed06.

Check for current wildfires in Montana.

08/01/2026

URGENT - FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Great Falls MT
1144 AM MDT Fri Jul 31 2026

MTZ112>118-010845-
/O.EXT.KTFX.FW.W.0004.260801T2000Z-260803T0300Z/
Eastern Glacier/Toole/Central/Eastern Pondera/Liberty-
Hill and Blaine Counties-
Lewis and Clark National Forest Rocky Mountain District-
Rocky Mountain Front-Chouteau and Fergus Counties-
Lincoln Ranger District of the Helena National Forest-
Central and Eastern Lewis and Clark National Forest Areas-
Helena and Townsend Ranger Districts of the Helena National Forest-
1144 AM MDT Fri Jul 31 2026
..RED FLAG WARNING NOW IN EFFECT FROM 2 PM SATURDAY TO 9 PM MDT
SUNDAY FOR HOT TEMPERATURES, GUSTY WINDS, AND LOW RELATIVE
HUMIDITY FOR FIRE WEATHER ZONES 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, AND
118...

The National Weather Service in Great Falls has issued a Red Flag
Warning for hot temperatures, gusty winds, and low relative
humidity, which is in effect from 2 PM Saturday to 9PM MDT Sunday.

* AFFECTED AREA...Eastern Glacier/Toole/Central/Eastern
Pondera/Liberty, Hill and Blaine Counties, Lewis and Clark
National Forest Rocky Mountain District-Rocky Mountain Front,
Chouteau and Fergus Counties, Lincoln Ranger District of the
Helena National Forest, Central and Eastern Lewis and Clark
National Forest Areas and Helena and Townsend Ranger Districts
of the Helena National Forest.

* WINDS...West 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 50 mph. Along the
Rocky Mountain Front, west winds 30 to 40 mph with gusts up to 60
mph and isolated cases of 75 mph.

* RELATIVE HUMIDITY...As low as 8 percent.

* TEMPERATURES...Between 100 and 110 degrees on Saturday.

* COLD FRONT...A strong, dry cold front will arrive Saturday
evening.

* IMPACTS...Any fires that develop will spread rapidly.
Containment of any ongoing or new fires may be very difficult.
Outdoor burning is not recommended.

07/31/2026

...FIRE WEATHER WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH
SUNDAY EVENING...
TODAY...
* Sky/Weather...........Sunny. Patchy smoke.
* Chance Lightning.......0 percent.
* Max Temperature.......86-94...76-86 higher elevations.
24 hr trend......Unchanged.
* Min Humidity..........14-20 percent.
24 hr trend......3 percent down.
* Wind (20 FT).
Lower Elevations...Southwest winds around 5 mph shifting to
the northwest in the afternoon.
Ridges.............West winds 10 to 15 mph.
* Mixing Height.........500-1000 ft agl increasing to 8500-10000 ft
agl.
* Transport Winds.......West 15 to 20 mph.
* CWR...................0 percent.
TONIGHT...
* Sky/Weather...........Mostly clear. Patchy smoke in the evening,
then areas of smoke after midnight.
* Chance Lightning.......0 percent.
* Min Temperature.......57-64.
24 hr trend......4 degrees up.
* Max Humidity..........42-52 percent...29-39 percent higher
elevations.
24 hr trend......19 percent down.
* Wind (20 FT).
Lower Elevations...North winds 10 to 15 mph shifting to the
southeast after midnight.
Ridges.............North winds 10 to 15 mph shifting to the
southeast after midnight.
* Mixing Height.........9000 ft agl decreasing to 500-1500 ft agl.
* Transport Winds.......North 15 to 20 mph shifting to the
southeast after midnight.
* CWR...................0 percent.
SATURDAY...
* Sky/Weather...........Mostly sunny. Patchy smoke through the day.
* Chance Lightning.......0 percent.
* Max Temperature.......91-100...82-92 higher elevations.
24 hr trend......7 degrees up.
* Min Humidity..........8-13 percent.
24 hr trend......5 percent down.
* Wind (20 FT).
Lower Elevations...South winds 10 to 15 mph increasing to
southwest 20 to 25 mph in the afternoon.
Ridges.............South winds 10 to 15 mph increasing to
southwest 20 to 25 mph in the afternoon.
* Mixing Height.........500-1500 ft agl increasing to 14000-15000
ft agl.
* Transport Winds.......South 20 to 25 mph increasing to southwest
around 30 mph in the afternoon.
* CWR...................0 percent.

Send a message to learn more

07/31/2026

Our Trustees will meet on Tuesday, August 4 at 7pm for their monthly meeting.

Trustee Meeting Agenda

August 4, 2026 at 7:00 pm



Public comment in accordance with §2-3-103, MCA



Minutes from previous meeting(s): Glenn Henderson

Treasurer’s report: Sarah Diehl

Chief’s Report: Marc Weniger

Old business:

Colorado Timberwolf Truck Update -

Sale of 6825 spare engine. – Mark Meyer has an update

DNRC 90/10 Grant – Update/discussion

Fee Increase – Update

Storage Unit Water Supply – Power responsibility discussion

Station 2 Generator – Update

Cadet Program –

Patient Transport -

New business:

Incident Reviews:

Review unusual Medical & Fire incidents. – Marc Weniger

Equipment:

Repairs required:

Station 2 Sewer Line Break – Goob will excavate and repair. May need to replace concrete.

Purchases necessary:

General:

Subdivision Updates –

Current Personnel Issues –

Other New Business Not Listed:

Send a message to learn more