Missoula's Rural Fire Team Balances Community Needs and Resources

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this is TalkBack 72129 or 1 800 568 5309 this is News Talk kgvo am 1290 and 98.3 FM kgvo missoula's news and weather station hey good morning everyone and welcome to the Wednesday November 27th edition of TalkBack TalkBack this morning is brought to you by Harrington Surgical Supply where you can feel confident in their discreet knowledgeable guidance on a multitude of products and medical supplies also brought to you by 123 Seamless Gutters where they'll handle everything that has to do with gutters so you don't have to the number is 40624 2669 they're protecting the foundation of your future also brought to you by Philips janitorial boring both residential and commercial cleaning your home and your business they got you covered no job too big or small 40626 6617 and by y West store out at the Y on two smokes way if you need storage here's their number 40651 059 at y West they're making room for you the views and opinions expressed on TalkBack are not those of the staff management or advertisers well good morning once again everyone The Fabulous Nick creson right over there good morning Mr fabulous how are you good morning doing good all right also joining us in in the studio this morning is Ace sour wine and you know Ace now as the voice of the lady Grizz and also uh the fact that you're on the field for football games he is our Sports guy now and so welcome to the studio how are you fantastic uh Mr fabulous as well how are how are you doing over there doing good Mr fabulous I like that Peter all right so now now one of the things that you are also uh taking part in and and helping to ramrod is kissmas for kids I know Chistmas for kids for what a couple of decades now has has been helping uh the kids I remember Angel when she was here she started the whole thing and uh I I will tell you it hundreds and I I would venture to say thousands of kids have benefited from kissmas for kids over the years so tell us what's going on yeah last year alone it was $80,000 raised in the exact amount is escaping me right now but it was hundreds just last year alone right uh but kissmas for kids is our annual fund raise over on our sister station 949 KISS FM next Friday is the day Friday uh December 6th we will have it's all day it's it's Dennis starting in the morning Denny in the afternoon I'll be chiming in of I do have my sports obligations I'll actually be with the men's basketball team in St Paul when they play St Thomas on uh uh that Saturday but I'll be chiming in via phone as well we'll have Ashley and Chris over from Z100 they'll be on for about an hour or so we've got guests line up all day uh and how you can help out the listener you can uh go to to Chistmas forkids.com you can just make a straight donation if you'd like uh but we also do have an auction that'll be up and running uh the actual site will be up I believe today for sure next week and uh actually for sure before Thanksgiving tomorrow the site will be up uh we'll get you some links on Facebook and all that but uh you can start bidding actually on Friday we've got next Friday that is we've got some great items I think the the the top one is a seven night Baja Mexico cruise and you can you know the way the auction works it starts kind of at you know much lower price than what a normal Cruise would be and up we go exactly and I mean either way I mean it's you're going to save some money if you want to go on a Baja Mexico cruise which who doesn't of course but uh that's one of the many items you know plenty of gift certificates to a number of restaurants and breweries and liquor stores and and there are so many sponsors almost innumerable there yeah and well in a lot of those sponsors will be swinging by the studio so and a big thank you to them because they they again I can't even start to list how many people help out but they're the ones who provide very generous donations off the bat so uh yeah again if you can help out kissmas forkids.com is the website make your own donations as well now I will tell you that uh in my experience uh with when when the time comes for the kids to actually do their shopping uh it it is an amazing it it brings tears to your eyes really when you see the the kids come in with their parents it's an undisclosed location so nobody's there to you know pester them or any of that and and the kids will often defer what they want and buy something for Mom and Dad right or or for their little brother or sister or whatever it might be it is so cool and uh it it's just a testament to um the generosity of Missoula and of course all of our Town Square Media listeners now the cool thing is all of our stations have apps yeah you know and and you there isn't any reason why give through the the KISS FM app or the kgbo app or whatever if you're out of town and you want to do it that way I I would think that would be the way to go yes 100% it is and to your point about um you know the kids getting out and going shopping it it benefits a lot of groups in the area I mean some of the high schools in the area YWCA I mean it even goes outside of Missoula it's kind of Western Montana as a whole so a number of organizations and groups benefit from this and you're right a lot of kids benefit from this like said hundreds let alone just you know just last year uh but yeah the the KISS FM app that'll have a lot of details um on how to bid where to bid how to donate all that the all the details that you're going to want we have a list again of our auction items up on our website as well kissfm.com so yeah those are kind of your uh One-Stop shops for everything kissmas well thanks for sharing that with us we appreciate it absolutely save travels with yeah do you know where you're going from day to day you know barely it was funny this last weekend the the weekend looked like this we left Missoula at 5: a.m. for Boseman for gisat right watch that debacle and then from Boseman we flew I flew to Denver to get to Minneapolis it was about a 500 a.m. to midnight kind of day lady Grizz played the go for Sunday we flew out immediately back to Missoula so I was gone for 40 hours in about four different cities it was uh it was a bit of a travel nightmare well uh go go go back in your lair if you will and and maybe hibernate a little bit uh thank you yes I need that I need that and thank you for sharing all that with us and by the way outstanding job thank you I appreciate that we're going to come right back we have open phones everybody from now until 9:00 this morning so whatever might be on your mind 72112 90 is our number 1 1800 56853438 Cory horsens will be here in the studio with us all that's coming up here on TalkBack today so uh let's get things started with open phones at 721 1290 after this hey Missoula we're Denis brag not much change in the weather outlook as we move into the long Thanksgiving weekend we're still expecting more clouds Wednesday possible fog in the valley at times and chilly with highs only in the upper 30s climbing from a morning low around 20 for Thanksgiving Day mostly cloudy skies for that family or neighborhood Turkey Bowl game and maybe clearing at times but Friday and Saturday also look cloudy and cold we don't see much chance of significant Sun breaks until Sunday lows continue near 20 with afternoon highs not warmer than the upper 30s Chris Domin is a husband and a father Chris is an athlete Chris is even an Iron Man but 10 years ago Chris was facing a very different story because his kidneys were failing basically the doctor said if you don't get a kidney transplant and if you don't do dialysis you you are going to die fortunately Chris received a second chance at life made possible by an organ donor you know your well-being changes from loss of Hope to hope to better times ahead more than 100 million people in America are registered organ ey and tissue donors people of every age and ethnicity because they believe it's the right thing to do imagine what you can make possible by leaving Behind The Gift of Life learn more and up as an organ eye and tissue donor go to organdonor.gov a message from the US Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and services Administration hey we are back on TalkBack 7211 1290 is the number it's open phones and Susan is taking advantage of open phones this morning Susan good morning what's on your mind ma' well I just want to remind everybody to be thankful to all of your family members and that includes the elderly and if you have elderly family members that are in nursing homes or our homebound um it's wonderful to reach out to children but it's also important to reach out to those who maybe aren't adorable and cute but um are lonely and old and sick and um please go to are senior citizens that can't get out and can't uh go to all the events and aren't adorable and um make their Thanksgiving as happy and joyful as possible and if they are able to get to church offer them a ride to church um or at least go to visit them and make their Thanksgiving and Christmas as joyful as possible because the holidays actually are a very difficult time for a lot of people who have lost someone or are in the process of losing someone so please make this a joyful Christmas and holiday for those that are on the other end of life and I hope that everyone that is listening today has a joyful and wonderful Thanksgiving giving because we live in the greatest country that man has man and woman has ever known and we are so lucky to be Americans and I am so grateful that I was born in America and I hope that all of us cherish the fact that in 1620 a few people got on a tiny little rickety boat landed in America and came here and started our country God Bless America beautifully said Susan thank you so much and you're absolutely right we appreciate it thank you so for for calling okay byebye take care all right there you go 72129 is our number 1 1800 568 5309 if there's something on your mind this morning heading into the holiday weekend a lot of folks will have uh Thursday as a matter of fact Nick and I will not be here Thursday or Friday and we'll be back on Monday so just just so you know in case you tune in and what happened you know so we will have alternate programming right yeah SP spend time with your family get you know some stuff done and yeah take a take a break from TalkBack for a couple days and then come back Monday Gorge yourself with turkey and stuffing and pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes and gravy where where where do you fall on that with because there's there's you know kind of debates that go around with Thanksgiving food in general and people talking about the holidays and I know where I fall but I'm curious do you look forward to that Thanksgiving meal every year and all the Fixins and everything that goes with it or is it just kind of another meal to you how do you feel well I'm I'm not a big eater uh but but I will say that when my wife and her family um get down to some serious meal making oh my goodness yeah the the the loan Clan is is amazing and uh um uh my wife is doing turkey and and of course we're going to get get get together with her sisters and and have some fun there and uh I I for myself if if I've got on my plate I've got some turkey and some mashed potatoes and some dressing and some stuffing or whatever you want to call it right all I do is drown it in gravy and and I I I can't tell one from another once once the gravy's on so I just go for it yeah I mean there's a lot of people that's that's exactly how they do it so yeah I I've it's weird I'm I enjoy Thanksgiving you know dinner but I don't I don't get crazy about it like everybody else does I it's it's turkey cool I'm not a big cranberry sauce guy uh love the rolls love the pumpkin pie I absolutely cannot stand stuffing for whatever reason stuffing just doesn't agree with me for whatever reason but um yeah usually there's like a green bean casserole that's fine or right agten potatoes stuff like that you know and not but for me as you know big football guy like when Thanksgiving comes around my attention is usually focused on what comes after the meal that well well now there's three games so there's all day is football and so it's like I don't even want to take a break from the games to even eat and then sit down and do the formality so no do you do you eat do you eat do you have the whole TV tray thing going or what no no not quite we uh well it's funny uh we Thanksgiving used to be kind of like that I used to my my mom moved here about 3 four years ago now and so I spend most of my thanksgivings with her now that she's here cuz I'm the only family she has here I used to spend most thanksgivings with my dad which was much more formal we had a bunch of family over and so you know we we'd go to Grandma's house and you know or different other family and and take a break from the games and watch it now it's nice said I have my mom here because she she likes Thanksgiving too and likes to do the whole meal thing but uh she's totally fine with me sitting around watching football and we take a break between games to eat but we we kind of do a lot of appetizers and things like that and just kind of we still have the Thanksgiving meal later but yeah it's much more uh casual and less less formal now which is exactly how I would prefer it all right so uh uh hey it's open phones you guys want to chime in and share what you guys are going to be doing tomorrow and for the holiday weekend I mean a lot of folks are going to be traveling uh millions and millions and millions of people are going to be traveling uh for the Thanksgiving holiday it could be one of the busiest ever so hopefully my my my daughter and son-in-law and our beautiful new grandchild Jacob Peter will be flying in this afternoon in fact for from Seattle for a visit and we'll have all have Thanksgiving together and so anyway that's going to be fun but we have Jeff waiting on the live and we'd love to hear from you 7211 1290 is our number what do you guys do for Thanksgiving if you don't mind sharing uh 7211 1290 is our number we're coming right back after this hello man where are you this wedding is lit I thought you were coming oo I can't I'm in bed with the flu the flu you didn't get a flu shot oh I wish I did I can't believe I'm missing out on Greg's wedding whoa whoa whoa Grandma's about to Crow Ser Grandma's about to what what man I'll call you back oh man sounds like another case of flu fomo don't get stuck at home with a flu a flu shot is safe effective and you can get it at the same time as your covid-19 vaccine a flu shot is the best way to prevent the flu and it's potentially serious complications it keeps you protected and also protects your loved ones protect protecting our community can't wait so why get stuck inside with a flu don't get flu fomo learn more at get myf flu shop.org brought to you by the AMA CDC and the Ad Council welcome back talk back rolling right along it's open phones from now till 9:00 this morning and then uh the gentleman from Missoula rural fire district will be here in the studio Chief Paul Finley and deputy chief Cory Hon's both joining us but right now we want to talk to you guys let's get Jeff on the line Jeff it's open phone sir what's on your mind hey good morning guys good morning Montana so Nick has a new nickname is it Mr Fantastic Mr fabulous yeah fabulous now if you remember if you if you remember uh during one of the Blues Brothers uh I think their trumpet player was Mr fabulous all right so there you go I was thinking of Billy Crystal's character I can't remember his name now but you look marvelous but you look fabulous okay I'll take either one that's fine with me yeah well uh uh and you can have your family coming in Peter yes sir absolutely uh that's great you have a chance to celebrate holiday with them that kind of leads into what I want to do yeah my my my son Luke is going to be course he lives here so Luke's going to be there uh Jenna and David and little my as my wife ref first him as Jakey bakey uh will be here and so we'll we'll get the whole whole fam Dam all getting together but go ahead please yeah there you go just nickname him JP that way you get in there too sounds good yeah and that kind of leads into what I want to say rather you know we spend most of the rest of the year talking about things and kind of highlighting differences and opinions and stuff but uh I think tomorrow's all about gratitude and I think gratitude is one of the uh least appreciated virtues out there but I think it's the queen of all of them if you can just feel grateful um it it kind of leads to everything else and uh and even just for little things I mean you know I sometimes I Marvel just when I step into a shower that I can turn a knob and I have hot water coming out uh to take a shower and all of the technology and civilization behind that one little thing in my life and you know if you if we stop and take a look at things in our lives that uh that uh we need to feel grateful for I don't think we could ever stop counting them so uh and one of them is talk back I'm grateful for this forum and that I frequent a lot I know um but I'm grateful for it because it gives us a chance to have a voice and express opinions and have a dialogue it's not the same as face to face but it is good to be able to have a dialogue and bring different opinions together so I'm really grateful for you guys well I'm I'm grateful for Nick as the producer uh because he's the one that gets all our cool guests for us so I appreciate that and thank you Jeff no we appreciate we appreciate your call is always very insightful well one thing I I have to disagree with you with though I have to leave you with this is green bean casserole Nick there is nothing good about bean casserole H yeah well I just put on a good face let's put it that way I I you know I it's not my favorite part of the dish like I said none of it gets me out of bed in the morning but at least it's there and it's yeah you know maybe if you tried my mom's you'd think different we'll see I don't know yeah but you haven't just tried the right stuffing either I don't know what kind of you had I've I've had a lot of different kinds of stuffing I can tell you but yeah no I yeah well I might just have to drop some by the studio for you that would be great that'd be funny yeah with with with with our new Security package I'm not sure anybody could get through the door with with dressing but you never know you'll have to you'll have to leave the the whatever it is outside the door something like that really you have magnetometers now it's a little more secure these days yes we have a very secure place now so we're good oh I didn't realize there was an issue with that so it's more preventative not not an issue but yeah yeah it's yeah Happy Thanksgiving to all the listeners or to the other listeners I'd like to say and uh looking forward to seeing you on the other side of the weekend I guess sounds good man all right thanks Jeff to you and your family as well let's get Ed on the line Ed good good morning sir you're on talk back what's up hey thanks uh we're in western Washington now and go down to Portland and uh have Thanksgiving with our first great grandson it's going to be it's going to be fun yeah Cong be yeah uh but when I was a kid uh in western Washington we had uh uh I think about 10 aunts and uncles and they all had so I had cousins Galore and on Thanksgiving we wish would be whisked off to the movie house it seems like there was always an Elis movie okay I don't can't figure that out uh but in any event that's what I think about more uh you know about U Thanksgiving is an Elvis movie got to put an Elvis movie on okay Happy Thanksgiving to everybody well so thank you thank you very much oh [Music] my oh don't get me started all right thanks your mouth get that out of your mouth unleash the kraken all right we're gonna come right back all right it's open phones for another half hour give us a call what are you guys going to do for Thanksgiving going to travel you're going to stay home you're going to eat uh I I remember when I was a kid and my mom and my brother and I were very poor we made sure that we had we had turkey TV dinners for Thanksgiving so but at least we had turkey so anyway and we were together so that that was good we're going to come right back 72129 is our number 1 1800 568 5309 we're coming right back after this want to hear from you Dennis brag not much change in the weather outlook as we move into the long Thanksgiving weekend we're still expecting more clouds Wednesday possible fog in the valley at times and chilly with eyes only in the upper 30s climbing from a morning low around 20 for Thanksgiving Day mostly cloudy skies for that family your neighborhood Turkey Bowl game and maybe clearing at times but Friday and Saturday also look cloudy and cold we don't see much chance of significant Sun breaks until Sunday lows continue near 20 with afternoon highs not warmer than the upper 30 how was your drive to school let me tell you I had to get my ice coffee first I just can't seem to put it down my favorite rapper just announced the tour my phone was buzzing like crazy I'm so excited I text all my friends right then to talk about it then someone started calling me and let's try that again I turned my phone off right away I never drive distracted visit stop teex stop.org a message brought to you by the national highway traffic safety administration project yellow light and the Ad Council now the one thing we had mentioned we're back on talk back by the way phone lines are free and open if you have a question or a comment anything that might be on your mind we're talking about Thanksgiving and a lot of other things going on uh as we head into the holiday weekend give us a call tell us what your plans are if you'd like uh we'd love to share those with you as well 72129 on uh by the way one thing that we haven't talked about yet is the fact that the Grizzlies have another we have a playoff game playoff game against Tennessee state they're going to be coming into town and this is going to be another one of those late nights because it's on ESPN 2 and the kickoff is scheduled for 8:15 but I can pretty much guarantee you uh the last time we had an 815 kickoff turned out to be an 8:30 kickoff so anyway uh it's going to be another late night and we are hoping for another sellout for for the uh uh for for the the Montana Grizzlies as they if they can win this then they go directly into from what I understand the the um uh round two and we we'd be play if we let's put this if we win we get to go back to bkings to play South Dakota state so yeah a little bit of a tough draw there but and and that'll be fun yeah I think a lot of Grizz fans were hoping for the 13 seed we end up with the 14 seed uh our game will be aired on ESPN 2 which is good for you know recognition and things like that um on a Saturday night you know holiday weekend but uh yeah we're uh I people may yell at me but we we're not going to go to the playoff game this year just cuz it is normally the fair we're the weather doesn't impact us like we'll go we'll normally go but it being such a late 8:15 start and and you know we're still kind of down in the glumps over kind of how the season ended and you know obviously the fact that we should we should beat this team I mean hopefully uh pretty handily and then obviously yeah who knows what could happen after that but yeah we're going to we're going to stay home and and watch the game this year and and root him on from the couch but but but if if I remember correctly we were kind of the walking wounded after the after the Grizz cat game several of our impact players seem to be limping or uh you know with various bumps and bruises but but hey they're they're they're tough kids and uh I know we we'll have a great game so I I have to be there you you will be there we we need you to be there yeah they don't need me to be there they need you to be there yes all right let's get EMT on the phone EMT good morning sir you are on talk back what's on your mind oh thanks for taking my call well some more good news about Trump and I've heard this before but I was reading about it in the paper he wants to end the wokeness and education on day one he just wants to end all this political correctness and the sexualization of our kids and transgendered things and political correctness and just get back to Reading Writing and arithmetic God bless Donald Trump for doing this I'm grateful that he's going to be back in the White House in January I mean we should literally be thanking God for Donald Trump I don't know how he's going to do it but his education secretary is going to be play a big role I've been screaming about this for years and a lot of other people have as well I also hope they he ends this whole idea of you can't embrace your close friends in school or hug and kiss them or tickle them and because I always I love my friends and I always always wrestle around with my friends in junior high because we loved each other can you imagine being punished for doing something good that's horrible you know I'm like a big Care Bear in many ways you know I'm even against this whole idea of adults can't Embrace children because that's not pedophilia I hate pedophiles but we've just got to end this political correctness and I think Donald Trump is the man that's going to help us do that and if I can share something with you real quick here just you're talking about education uh Linda McMahon is the person that former president the president-elect Trump has selected uh to be the educ ation uh director of the Department of Education and uh it says here president-elect Trump plans to nominate former pro wrestling CEO Linda McMahan to lead the education department so there there there goes there goes your wrestling deal I mean you there I love that I'm not sure if tickling is going to go along with that but uh you never know yeah well God bless Donald Trump a Happy Thanksgiving and a merry Christmas and I'm glad Donald Trump believes in saying Merry Christmas cuz so do I not happy holidays so all right so I hope you have a great Thanksgiving all right same to you buddy appreciate it 72112 7 72290 is our number by the way uh those if you don't remember this um I will bring it to your to recall here one of the things that the president president-elect Trump ran upon was that he was actually considering closing the US Department of Education all together and and yet he still has uh has nominated someone to be the chairperson of that so and anyway yeah I didn't think that one was going to happen anyway 7211 1290 is our number 1800 568 5309 we'd love to hear from you uh we again we do have guests coming in at 9:00 this morning we'll be talking to the folks from Missoula rural fire uh Missoula ryal fire chief Paul Finley is going to be joining us along with uh deputy chief Corey horsens and if you remember just a couple of days maybe about less than a week ago I had a chance to visit with uh deputy chief horsens about a dramatic rescue that was affected by Missoula rural fire up on Blue Mountain Road when a car slid down the icy Road and about six or seven people had to be rescued several had to be uh transported to the hospital but as far as I know no real serious injuries but uh that that's the sort of thing that these individuals with Missoula rural fire and Missoula City fire and all of our First Responders do on a regular basis and they're very much unsung heroes so and these are two very they're they're two different entities obviously than than yeah Missoula City fire who uh who obviously had the levy situation uh months ago there and so yeah so these guys are going to come in and talk about some of the challenges that that they're facing as well so yeah it and it it's going to be very very interesting uh because hey gentlemen how you doing uh they're already here in fact so well we we still have open phones yes we do we we have open phones for another 20 minutes so if you have something on your mind give us a call 72129 or 1 18005 68530 n uh Thanksgiving right around the corner you have plans give us a call let us know what's going on we'll be right back after this call 23 seamless shop the best Black Friday weekend deals up to 70% off only at Tanger Outlets save B at Nike Factory Store coach Michael Kors under arour Polo Ral Lauren Kate Spade New York and hundreds more find something for everyone on your list during our biggest sale of the Year hundreds of Brands endless gifting options unwrap the best at Tanger Outlets stores open at 6:00 a.m. Black Friday get your savings at tanger.com are you prepared for an emergency or disaster because it's not a matter of if but when don't find yourself saying I'll Trust water bottles and a flashlight to save the day but I'll be proved wrong with a tornado approaching I'll realize that I like a wheelchair accessible shelter when the floodwaters rise I'll be up in the attic with 20 cans of beans it's a recipe for disaster let's prepare so we all have a better story to tell get started at ready.gov/be-informed you secure access to your personal earnings history and benefit status you can also get a proof of income letter estimate and apply for benefits and more save time go online open a my Social Security account at ssa.gov myac account Social Security securing today and tomorrow produced at US taxpayer expense all right what's going on with you this morning uh the phone lines are open at 72129 or 1 1800 56853438 uh the kgvo website and uh our our our compatriot Chris wolf over at Z100 have put up a a story about the the guy Fier has two Missoula eateries featured on diners drivein and dives and that's this this week that's that's totally cool so I I had not heard about that but uh you know you didn't hear when he was in town I did well I I heard when he was in town but I didn't realize that he had visited not one but two places yeah yeah I think think uh that episode's supposed to air on Friday if I remember I I it's Friday or Saturday we'll have to I have to pull up Wolfie's article to I've got I've got it right here would you like me to reveal sure okay well one of them is Big of pizza yeah a new biger yeah yeah and the other one is Vera Donuts which is over on South Higgins uh again that's rumor is the second location will be Vera Donuts so okay but what what day is the episode supposed to does it say uh let's see uh let's see uh one was will Air this Friday which is tomorrow yep I'm sorry which is yeah sorry what day is it yeah I'm I'm I'm missing Thanksgiving two days from now uh Friday on the Food Network at 700 p.m. local time so it's very cool yeah super cool yeah if I mean if if you haven't seen uh diners Drive-In and Dives before um it's pretty fun little show you know comes in and Guy Fe he focuses on kind of local places I I want to know if he drove his red Camaro all the way up to Missoula uh usually that's a staple so I I don't I don't know I don't remember seeing pictures of that floating around when he was here but um but yeah no it's a it's a fun show and cool that Missoula will get some recognition and uh and yeah and I love big of pizza big of pizza is great so well I okay I'm I'm going to I'm going to play the rube here okay uh uh I don't get out much as you know so I've never eaten at Big a pizza and I've never gone to Vera donuts oh shame so I I I'm looking forward to finding about stuff about my own town that I don't know about so yeah yeah maybe you'll learn and then decide to go yeah I mean uh yeah I mean I I don't know what I could tell you about I mean big is is a good pizza place they got other stuff too but they're probably one of the better pizza places in town um on my in my opinion and then ver Donuts is kind of the only place in town does those kind of specialty bigger types of donuts and stuff so yeah they're uh they're both kind of Missoula Staples Peter I'm just looking luckily they they put the the link the websites of each um of each place to the story and I'm just looking at their Lo the Vera Donuts logo that's an amazing logo I mean that that is some really cool art going on there uh would looks like a uh an Amazon goddess uh with a pitchfork and a whole bunch of donuts skewered on it so anyway it's very cool and uh yeah anyway so how about that it's pretty cool we we love it when Missoula gets gets good good press yes definitely yeah no and uh uh not to totally switch gears obviously but um if in terms of other news that happened yesterday they did officially charge an individual with deliberate homicide yesterday so if you were uh hearing Rumblings about that situation cuz there was kind of little information that came out yester well not yesterday the day before yesterday but more uh more info came out on that uh yesterday so we have that story up on our website as well but yeah a 51 individ 51y old individual was officially charged with deliberate homicide in Missoula so that is yeah we haven't had many of those in the past five years or so I mean I think I can probably maybe three or four I'd have to look so yeah I mean NE never good when those type of things happen obviously you bet so and so as we head into the as we head into the holiday uh we have all sorts of things coming up Thanksgiving and then following that of course we have Christmas and then New Year's and so it it's going to be uh uh let's put this going to be a very busy time I'm really also really interested in finding out what people's plans are for the holidays if you are going to be visiting friends or doing whatever uh give us a call 72129 800- 56853438 and uh we had a very nice chat about um the fact that they are you know going to bat for people who rent and there are thousands and thousands of renters in Missoula yeah you're looking at one of them I know right AC right across the way here I've been pretty vocal about that yeah I yeah I'm interested to see yeah hear more about how your guys's conversation went what I mean what what is just supposedly supposed to happen at this renters Rodeo the r rode it's going to be going to be a fun Gathering of of people who who rent in Missoula it's going to be held I I think just down the street at the uh is is it called the union Club is that what it's called I forget what it's called anyway uh it's right down the street and um they're going to have all sorts of food and games and it's just going to be a fun thing uh specifically for people who rent uh to go and share their experiences and you know get more information from the uh uh the folks who to help them so anyway Let's uh let's go right to the phones that's what open phones is all about we've been yammering on long enough Tom good morning sir you're on talk back what's up yeah good morning U hope everybody has a safe and uh and grateful Thanksgiving so anyway I just like to you know put in my two cents after the uh the election we had a couple weeks ago uh um everybody now is is telling us that the world is going to end and these are the worst cabinet pick things ever seen and how Donald Trump is going to be a dictator and everything is going to be horrible when we just lived through the last going on four years now of one of the most tumultuous uh periods in our history where we had uh the keeping kids out of school and you know it goes on and on and on and on the price of everything and uh so um you know I but I'm I'm thinking if uh if the vice president had won the election and we'd be everybody would be so um you know optimistic about how everything's going to be great don't forget the joy don't forget the joy the joy is very important forget that things yeah things are going to change and um you know anyway so you know thank you guys for you know the great year and uh you know I know you guys are bigger football fans than I am but I guess if you're a Montana and you can get behind that State team and uh you know I know the Grizz didn't have a great year but that's the way it goes sometimes well we still have we still have two State teams uh in in the playoffs of course uh I think MSU now has by virtue of beating us they're the number one seed is that right oh they've been the number one seed yeah yeah they're they're Far and Away the number one seed anyway good for about the Grizz went down between 9 and 16 or so I don't know what it was but anyway uh I you know watch all the local news and I'm a big fan of Montana so uh you know it doesn't matter with the Griz of the state I mean that's probably uh you know a blasphemy in in Western Montana but uh you know you know that's okay you know it's great to have rivalries you know I grew up in a place where they had a huge college you know and college football is just great so any well Tom I will I will tell you this my my my wife is is much more fair than I am okay and so and she always you know whenever when the Grizzlies lose to the Bobcats she always puts her arm around my shoulder and says honey remember they're Montana kids too okay as a matter of fact the kid that did the most damage to the Grizzlies on Saturday is from Missouri and believe it or not hold on hold on and there I believe there are kids from Boseman who play for the Grizzlies so I you know they're they're Montana kids we we kind of just you know we got to give give up on all this vitriol and say hey let's let's behind him yeah absolutely and then the other day that's probably been a couple weeks ago I actually saw you uh in the booth on a little clip on TV probably on k or something and no that was great but it what was great is that you look down at that book uh you know that binder right that had you know your how you how you do it and it was great it it was in huge print you know so I guess you can see it when you look down there's no mistakes I I specifically asked for a 14 or a 16 font okay because I I will tell you uh there that book is very as Nick knows that that book is very thick and when I get there in the when I get there before the game I get there about an hour and a half before the before game time so I can go through that book and read every single word that I'm going to have to say out loud in the stadium uh just so I can wrap my wrap my lips around them and I won't be I won't be mumbling and fumbling and uh and and there's always some very interesting names and you know things that I have to to do and so uh and then of course the power went out yeah there you go yeah so but I guess you were I guess you were still okay they either had you on a a what do you call that an never ready battery or something back up so you could your voice be heard in the referee also yeah the only two things that were working were my my mic and the referees mic yeah well anyway guys listen I I so appreciate you guys and ween every morning and uh I call in once in a while not as often as some but you know I I still manage to get my two cents worth in so everybody have a wonderful holiday all right with inflation it's worth a nickel thanks for the call we're going to come right back uh stay with us phone lines are open at 72129 1 800- 56853438 like to share got about another 4 minutes or so to do that so the phone lines are open at 72129 by the way uh one thing that just wrapped up this week is the what we call the gorilla turkey Drive I know Chris and Ashley with the Morning Show on Z100 um was really fun whenever someone would bring a turkey donation to the door they would ring our doorbell and they would put on their their turkey costumes and run all the way down the stairs and greet them and and take their donations I I've just got the numbers here um that Chris posted he says um let's see just how much people we wrapped up the 30th anniversary of the Guerilla turkey Drive they're humbled Again by just how much people are willing to help this year we're able to collect 837 turkeys wow and about $500 uh in cash for area food banks and so uh I want to say thank you to all you guys for your generosity it's amazing and they made it pretty clear to us that there was more demand this year than in years's past and a lot more people in need and so I know we had ason for the first five minutes talking about Chistmas for kids uh earlier so for those of you that missed that uh Chistmas for kids this year still going on uh Friday December 6th will be the big on air day and uh auction items websites all those things should hopefully be going up by tomorrow um but there are already hearing that uh preliminary that there's going to be a lot of kids and a lot of people in need and they requests are already higher than they were last year so yeah now is definitely um the time if you can help uh they need it well I I will tell you that that the the Chistmas Chistmas for kids um is is is one of those iconic things and and they've been doing it for for over 20 years now and uh it has grown and grown and grown and actually just just listening I mean you want to call and make a donation and and all that and and bid on things but just listening to the entire uh it's an entire whole day long it isn't just from 6:00 to 10: in the morning it starts at 6:00 a.m. and goes all day I think until 5 or 6: at night or until they finally close things down so uh I'm I'm hoping that everybody out there will take a minute to to tune in to Kiss FM or go on to the KISS FM app or the website and and find out more about kissmas for kids and plan if you would if you uh of course and when you go on to Kiss FM you'll see a list of all the the uh auction items that'll be up for bids and you can just start bidding right away and and uh well and then there's items you can just get outright but yeah there's I mean cuz they got their big items smaller items and and yeah and if you just want to just donate just to donate uh those are options too but but yeah they're they have a whole variety of stuff and if you can only donate a little bit that's fine every little bit helps so let's put it this way it's a very painless and and way to to help uh people in Missoula and it's it's also one of the things we uh my first radio boss said if it ain't fun it ain't good radio and I will tell you that there's few things in the world more fun than listening to the folks on on KISS FM as they do the the kissmas for kids so it's going to be a blast and we hope that you will join them uh so there you go anyway all right so we we are just about ready to wrap up open phones for this hour and coming up uh actually waiting in in the wings right now in our we like to call our Green Room our chief Paul Finley and the deputy chief Cory horsens going to talk to us what's what's going on with Missoula rural fire and uh the the challenges that they are facing and they'll be sharing those with us and of course taking your phone calls at 7211 1290 or 1 1800 568 5309 or of course you can use the kgvo app to send in your message we'll be back right after the top of the hour this is TalkBack 72129 or 1 1800 568 5309 this is new talk kgvo am 1290 and 98.3 FM kgvo missoula's news and weather station hey welcome back everybody it is hour number two of talk back for this Wednesday November 27th TalkBack this morning is brought to you by 123 Seamless Gutters family-owned and operated topnotch customer service for you so give them a call 40624 2669 as we say they're protecting the foundation of your future making room for you that's y West storage out at the Y on two smokes way you need a place to store your stuff here's their number 406 51059 because again they're making room for you at y West Philips sorial offers both residential and commercial cleaning your home and your business they've got you covered no job too big or small for them call Phillips 46260 6617 and by Harrington Surgical Supply where appointments are preferred for myectomy fittings and custom compressions but walk-ins are always welcome the views and opinions expressed on TalkBack are not those of the staff management or advertisers today we are privileged to have with us here in the studio this morning Nick Christenson right over there producing TalkBack I'm Peter Christ joining us here in studio are Missoula Royal fire chief Paul Finley and of course deputy chief Cory horsens gentlemen thank you for being with us today we appreciate it good morning Peter thanks for having us uh this morning we look forward to the discussion you bet okay so as you and I were discussing before before we started got started this morning uh uh the Missoula City Fire Department uh they they scored big this past year they got the they got the levy they've got an extra $7 million to help out with you know hiring new firefighters things like that but what what people don't realize especially when they just move here there are two firefighting and and service provider entities here in Missoula one with the city and one with the county so if you wouldn't mind sharing your your story you bet so uh absolutely you're correct Peter there are two uh separate and distinct fire departments here in Missoula and the surrounding area we work very closely together every day and um um enjoy the relationship that we maintain between us uh the missou RO fire district was started in the U 1960 uh 61 is the charter for the missou RO fire district and it was brought into existence by the folks of Orchard homes and target range as um as a necessity uh because of lack of fire coverage at that point and so one of our first fire stations as we understand it at least is uh um on Third Street around the what used to be the goofy gas station and what have you and so over the years uh since that point we've expanded out uh we have five fire stations uh used to have six but uh because of expansion by uh an annexation by the city of Missoula uh we have a or had a Station 3 rather that was on Gilbert Street in the rattlesnake and uh no longer exists but uh because of the um closest station agreements that we have in place and what have you with the city of Missoula uh they cover that area for us and so we're we hope to be beneficial to them and we believe we are and they are beneficial to us but certainly to different uh fire departments that exist so so is is that is that by Statute or or is it just the way things have worked out uh just the way things have worked out you know uh part of it is though statute to recognizing that a class one city which Missoula uh is that uh requires a fire department that's that's staffed the way that they are and so uh we are under less of a a uh as a fire district um also governed by Statute uh we are under less uh of a restriction or imposed upon us I suppose so um we don't quite have uh the Staffing that the city fire department has uh and uh we don't run the call volume that the city fire department has we have um an enormous an enormous area for us to cover it's a very big area yes uh and so uh we struggle um with that side of things just in the fact that some of our responses can go you know well past Bon or well uh well up Highway 12 and what have you and so some of it is far-reaching so all right so so obviously the the challenge here well the first thing is awareness PE people need to understand uh when they when they drive you know down a ride down Reserve here right across some rosars there's a fire station yes but but it's a rural fire station it is a rural fire station and that particular station is about 60 some years old uh I think it was built in 1963 um and since that time of course Missoula has grown and uh we are now that station now sits inside the city limits and again uh you know it's a we we share some responsibilities on both sides of the street um and what have you and uh we it's serving the folks well as it is right now but recognizing that our jurisdiction generally speaking for that particular fire station is further to the west and so um we're actually going through a station location study right now put on by uh a third party and they are helping us determine kind of the needs going forward uh just so that we are keeping up with growth and uh call volume response times uh a long list of items that we pay attention to in order to best serve the public that we serve well before we take a commercial break here just just in a minute or so what is what is it that the public needs to do to help you grow safely and responsibly well we are uh currently in the process of an accreditation uh and so we are looking at that and we've asked the public for their input through meetings and what have you and we're we're working on a build out of that as far as what the public uh can do to help us uh they are they have been uh extremely supportive us of us in the past and uh we're looking for the potential at least uh we don't know what that amounts to just yet we're waiting on that study to come back but we definitely see uh the need uh to update or potentially change location of uh some of our fire stations hey with that we're up against a Break by the way all the phone lines are open if you have a question or a comment for Paul Finley or Cory horsens there with Missoula rural fire we're here to talk about uh studies that they're doing their needs as we go into the future and missou since Missoula is going to do nothing but keep growing right I mean we just can't stop it that's right that's right and so uh they need help and so we're going to talk about how all of us can help them as well as they help us on on a daily basis so phone lines are open at 7211 1290 or 1 1800 568 5309 I'd love to have some calls from you for the folks who serve you and save your lives every now and then uh from the Missoula ryal fireal back right after this Denis brag not much change in the weather outlook as we move into the long Thanksgiving weekend we're still expecting more clouds Wednesday possible fog in the valley at times and chilly with highs only in the upper 30s climbing from a morning low around 20 for a Thanksgiving Day mostly cloudy skies for that family or neighborhood Turkey Bowl game and maybe clearing a times but Friday and Saturday also look cloudy and cold we don't see much chance of significant Sun breaks until Sunday lows continue near 20 with afternoon highs not warmer than the upper 30s hey welcome back to TalkBack 7211 1290 is our number 18005 68530 n our guests in the studio Missoula rural fire uh District Chief Paul Finley and uh uh rural fire deputy chief Cory horsens are both here in the studio and the phone lines are open at 7211 1290 if you have a question or a comment for these gentlemen uh just real quickly we we were discussing a story that I did with you Corey uh about how your Crews responded to an accident that occurred up on Blue Mountain Road which and that primarily occurred in the dark and so tell us about some of the uh if you will some of the details of that rescue that are absolutely amazing yeah yeah you bet Peter uh I believe it was last Wednesday evening our crews were dispatched up uh at the 365 Road on Blue Mountain for a vehicle that had gone off the road uh from what I I wasn't on the scene but from uh what I gathered the vehicle had four young people inside and they had uh gone off the road uh none of the folks were wearing seat belts um sounded like a couple of them got ejected and two of them were trapped in the vehicle uh about 50 ft below the road uh in the dark and uh on an icy narrow roadway so um we responded up there with uh three of our units about 10 people in total from Missoula rural uh law enforcement had already arrived and assisted two of the folks up the hill to the road and uh two people remained in the vehicle that were trapped and uh it was uh from what I gather it was uh the way the vehicle was uh perched on the side of the mountain required a very technical stabilization before they felt comfortable uh extricating one of the victims in particular um so it took almost 4 hours for them to uh stabilize the vehicle in such a way they felt comfortable lifting the vehicle to uh safely extricate the person so uh as you might imagine it's would be a logistical challenge just to keep somebody warm for four hours uh in the dark and snow on the side of a road so um very uh very proud of the way our our crews performed in that particular incident and uh when they got back to the station you could just see the uh the amount of stress on each of their faces they they knew full well how uh how immense the consequences were in that in that circumstance and they all worked extremely well and I'm pleased to report there was a a happy outcome I haven't heard any uh reports as to how any of the victims are doing um but I do know that when they were they were all transported to the hospital um in relatively stable conditions so I think that's a win for our department and certainly speaks volumes about the quality of folks we have working for us there has got to be a a great deal of Pride associated with what you guys do I mean whe whether it's you know any any first responder right whether it's police fire you name it um there's got to be after all the training all the work and that's exactly what you trained for right absolutely uh our folks are are well trained and well equipped and that's in uh no small part to do to the support that we received from the community but uh absolutely we have some of the the best uh and brightest fire department firefighters uh in the state and uh so yeah our community is fortunate to have uh what we do um and uh yeah I'm extremely fortunate to uh be in the administrative team and uh help to ensure that they have the equipment and training they need to do their job safely and effectively cool let's get to the phone and say good morning to Doug Doug good morning you're on with Paul Finley and Cory horsens go ahead please good morning yes sir what's on what's on your mind well I was the first sleeper at the rural fire department when they first formed uh we were not equipped or trained in those days like this present rural fire Department which I salute for the Blue Mountain Rescue that had to be uh a pretty daunting task but Matt payovich was the chief of the rural Fire Department in those days and red catrell was a battalion chief and Don Anderson was a battalion chief and I was the grunt and and we're supposed to believe that you're the grunt is that right d trust me I was the grunt absolutely so I it it was established there's a Cedar Products firm there uh and adjacent to or across the street from the coke company in those days but we were headquartered out of there and uh L A great experience however we did not have the equip that they have today and uh so I salute them as a rural fire department for the professionalism and the Excellence in training well Doug I I would imagine you uh probably probably more than almost anybody else uh would be able to certify uh how important these individuals are to the community especially now that we've grown so much and and the fact that we have two excellent firefighter firefighting institutions here in our city both both uh deserve a great deal of support they certainly do Peter and I'll tell you they're first class both both departments are first class with first class employees first class uh training and first class equipment and and uh like I say it wasn't that way back in 1960 well Doug it's always it's always a pleasure to hear your voice and thank you for your service to our community well I just called in because as when I heard your speakers I was the first sleeper and as I say the first sleeper was a grunt all right Doug it's always a pleasure have a great day sir you bet and and we're we're we're going to come right back we have Larry waiting to visit uh again our our our guests here in the studio are Baza fire chief Paul Finley and deputy chief Cory horsens talking about what's going on with Missoula rural fire and their needs and they're going to be talking about that hopefully visiting with you answering your questions phone lines are open we're going to get back to Larry's call when we return right after this Montana State News Network I'm Dennis brag Montana power rates will be dropping at least for this winter as the Public Service Commission approves an interim rate reduction of just under $8 a month for the average NorthWestern Energy customer but the savings are offset for many with a commission also approving a bump in natural gas rates of just over $4 a month average and the PSC will continue evaluating northwestern's request for a larger hike in power rates next year based on determining whether a gas fire generator near Billings was a prudent investment it's not just the job market that's continuing to Boom in Montana Jason lar reports new statistics Show Business growth is strong as well thousands of new businesses are coming to Montana Secretary of State Christy Jacobson said last week that more than 10,000 registered in September and October which will also have fees waved for annual reports for the 2025 deadline Jacobson's office also noted that this year is on Pace to break last year's record-breaking year for the number of registered businesses eight of the 10 months this year saw higher numbers than in 2023 reporting for the Montana State News Network I'm Jason L if you're worried about fire in your community the for service is offering grants of up to a quarter of a million dollars to help the community Wildfire defense grants can help towns local fire departments tribes and even neighborhoods if they're developing a fire plan low income and at risk of fire Wildfire crisis communication lead Stephanie Spencer says it's a tool to help with hazards so for instance if they had a um a big wind storm that knock down a bunch of trees and put a bunch of fuels on the ground you know then that would be something that would qualify them or even just a drought or um in insect infestation that may have happened that that's creating a fuel loading issue full details at grants.gov Missoula County authorities identifying the injured woman found unconscious in a car Sunday is 37-year-old Audrey bird James Edward Brown being charged with deliberate homicide this is the Montana State News Network I was in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean when it happened there was a sudden jolt and our submarine crashed on the sea Flor we were in total darkness that's Dr Deanna figarella a marine biologist and stem teacher talking about a deep sea dive she'll never forget it's funny when I was a kid I was afraid of the ocean and there I was 2 mil below the surface but as a scientist you prepare for that using our training and a little creativity we fixed the sub and finished our experiments the dive was just too important every dive gives us glimpses at things few people ever get to see glowing creatures fiery under sea volcanoes when we got back to the surface I kissed the ground and called my mom of course but you know what I wouldn't trade that di for anything Dr Figaroa uses her passion for stem to discover new things and make the world a better place she can stem so can you check out she can stem for more stories and inspiration a message from the Ad Council all right welcome back to talk back 7211 1290 is our number special program going on right now with the gentleman from Missoula rural fire chief Paul Finley and deputy chief Cory hon both here in the studio with us this morning and we've got folks waiting on the line to visit with you Larry good morning sir you're on with Paul and Corey go ahead good morning uh I wondered uh if you folks could U compare and contrast how you staff your Larry we lost you just kind of do a quick comparison of the how the two um staffed and how they respond to uh emergency situations now Larry would you would you mind just repeating your question because you kind of cut out there a little bit if you could just repeat the question go ahead yeah if if you could uh compare and contrast how you on the rural fire respond and how your staff that your stations and compare that to how the city is staffed and how they respond to uh emergency situations okay thanks l Gentlemen please go ahead you bet uh you bet Larry thanks for your call uh this is uh Corey by the way um the the city and Rural although we both uh perform a lot of the same functions in terms of uh providing fire uh Emergency Medical Services uh technical rescue and hazardous material response there's a there is a bit of a difference in how we're staffed uh the City by Statute is required to have a fully paid Fire Department so uh with their five stations they have uh a minimum of 16 people on duty each day uh three people at each of their stations plus a battalion chief uh whereas us as a fire district uh we don't have that mandate to be uh have a fully paid fire department we're we're what we call a combination department so we're made up of both uh paid fire depart paid firefighters as well as uh some volunteer firefighters and Resident firefighters so at our uh our headquarters station there on South and Reserve we have uh uh three paid firefighters each day as well as our Battalion Chief and then our other four stations our outlying stations have a minimum of two paid firefighters 24 hours a day and then we have a at least one resident firefighter who uh helps out each night from 7:00 p.m. to 7: a.m. so we have a little bit uh Less in terms of uh the way we're staffed but uh and our our call volume is a considerably less than what the city is where uh we run approximately 4,000 calls a year this year we're going to come close to running 4,000 calls whereas the city I believe is up over uh 12,000 a year uh I may be off on my numbers a little bit there as far as their call volume but um those are some of the differences that we uh experience I think one of the most significant things that we encounter that the city does not is the fact that only a small percentage of the Missoula rural fire district actually has fire hydrants uh where the city shows up to a building on fire they attach their fir truck to the the hydrant system and they have an unlimited supply of water whereas uh in the the rural areas uh we don't have that luxury so we uh have to bring our own water with us so each of our stations is equipped with a 2,000-gallon water tender and uh we have to be uh well versed in shuttling our own water to provide fire protection so those are some of the differences and similarities between the two organizations happy to answer any other questions you might have it also may be worth mentioning that our our day is uh we consider 24 hours of course in our day uh so our staffing is Around the Clock of course uh during that daytime that Corey had mentioned all right well Larry is gone so let's get another call in this is Joe Joe good morning sir you're on with the folks of Missoula rural fire go ahead well hello and I'm actually with Missoula rural fire I there Chiefs um I thought maybe uh We've we've talked from time to time about the combining the two uh agencies I thought maybe people would be interested in what that would involve and what it would look like all right region Joe Joe thanks for the call so gentlemen I I I I would imagine that would be kind of an A logical thing to to consider so if you could address that you bet so uh we we are uh attempting to do more and more together as our agencies recognize that we are beneficial to one another and and we have been in the past but uh we continue to recognize what one can offer to the other and and uh none of us uh can stand alone 100% in the rescues and calls that we do and so part of our process currently is to bring some of our rescue contingents together so each agency uh is responsible for um confined space uh for instance Swift water rescue we're on a water rescue call right now uh of a gentleman who apparently fell into the river and so uh we do a lot of rescues and uh they are labor intensive and uh you know uh and so we um as two fire departments two separate fire departments are working together uh more and more all the time and our administrations and our workforces are meeting and uh we are attempting to be as beneficial to the Community as a whole as we can be although we're two Standalone uh agencies at this point um you know and and state law does not necessarily allow for any type of a consolidation at least at this point uh we do work closely together and uh it is our desire to continue to do so we feel that that serves the public uh the best that uh can be done and uh it also allows us to effectively uh mitigate uh rescues and fires and what have you with the assistance of of the folks right next door to us which is the city fire department and and so uh just being in a neighborly sense right uh that we're working closely to do that and so go ahead I was just going to say you oh are you still there Joe okay I am go ahead please I I I interrupted you go ahead please uh no I actually that was pretty much my comment and uh PA answered it all right well thanks for the call and with that we're we're pretty close to a break so let's do that and then we'll get Jeff's call by the way our guests here in the studio Cas should just joined us Missoula rural fire chief Paul Finley and deputy chief Cory horsens are here in the studio with us and we're talking about their needs the things that that they are looking at as they uh as Missoula continues to grow and expand as you know it's doing uh and what their agency what their needs are and what their requests are uh to the community that they serve so we're going to come right back with is the more right after this thinking about retirement make sure a my Social Security account is a part of your plan a my Social Security account gives you secure access to your personal earnings history and benefit status you can find out if you're eligible to receive benefits compare retirement benefit estimates at different ages or dates view special benefit estimates and more plan for your future open a my Social Security account at ssa.gov myac account Social Security securing today and tomorrow produced at US taxpayer expense okay we are back on TalkBack 72112 90 is our number 18005 68530 n before we get to our next caller now I know that Cory you wanted to address a little bit about what Joe was talking about yeah although we are two separate uh agencies uh the the rural fire department as well as the city we're we're always looking for ways to provide a better more efficient service to the public and one of the ways we're doing that currently is by the implementation of of automatic vehicle location uh right now we have a uh historically anyway for the last several years or decades even the both agencies have had a had a closest station response agreement whereby the the closest station be it rural or or city uh will respond to uh an emergency uh we're working toward improving upon that whereby each of our apparatus will be equipped with a GPS locator It's actually an iPad um so when a dispatch uh or when 911 receives a call uh for service it will depending on the nature of that call and and the Acuity uh will dispatch the the closest resources knowing that we're not always in our fire stations so I think that's just one example of how we're working together and cooperating with the city of Missoula uh our two agencies are cooperating to provide a more efficient uh and more uh rapid response to the citizens with with with that in mind I'm I'm curious about the 911 system because I they're some of the hardest working folks that show business as you know I mean they they provide an amazing 247365 service Abol so so when when a call comes in uh to 911 uh I've got a got a fire uh so the 911 takes it and they send it to the appropriate agency how does that work correct yeah uh yeah as you mentioned Peter the the 911 Center definitely does not get enough credit for the work that they do they really are the first First Responders and we couldn't none of us could do our jobs without them uh they're they're housed over uh in the B basement of the courthouse on on West Broadway and uh when a call comes in they have a call taker who determines whether or not the or what type of call it is be it law enforcement or medical or fire and then dispatches the most appropriate agency so all of that is handled by the uh 911 Center and we none of our agencies have our own dispatchers per se that's all handled by the county who dispatch not only for fire and Emergency Medical Services or EMS but also dispatch for uh Missoula City Police Department as well as the sheriff's office so they're they're busy folks a very big job you bet all right let let's let's get right back to the phones Jeff has been waiting Jeff good morning you're on with Paul Finley and Corey horsens go ahead please hey good morning uh my question kind of Segways into what you were talking about because you mentioned earlier that you have a rural Fire Department in the middle of the city now due to City growth and that sounds particularly in light of the recent uh uh initiative referendum on uh funding for a new fire station it did something seems wrong here if uh if there's a rural Fire Department in the city and then the city is looking at building one that's out closer to the county and um and you talked about combining but is there any sort of inter intermediate steps of rebalancing I mean there's a there's a fire station inside the city near rosar as you said right there on reserve and uh South is it correct yep yep so is there any thought about using that as a city and then a city fire fire station and then uh maybe looking I don't know which way you would go south or west or or Northeast uh how you would go out in terms of where your biggest demands are but actually put something out in in a county that would maybe be better able to respond to the county rather than have to come all the way through Missoula and Reserve Street traffic and and that sort of thing I guess just general rebalancing and and looking at uh scope of responsibilities given the territorial changes okay Jeff thanks for the call gentlemen go ahead please yeah that's a great question Jeff and we're actually I'm I'm glad you brought that up because you're exactly right when that uh when that station at South and Reserve was built back in 1962 or 63 um that station was out in the county it was out in you know kind of in the middle of nowhere whereas now we know the city has grown up to the um grown considerably and that station is now in the city limits so um recognizing that yeah the the best service to the folks who pay taxes to the Missoula rural fire district is to have stations that are more centrally located in those response areas we've engaged the services of a third party uh called uh esci Emergency Services Consulting Incorporated and they're conducting a station location study not just for our agency but for the city as well so uh we're working collaboratively with the city of Missoula to determine where the best station locations are for the community as a whole not just where the best station locations are for the Missoula rural fire district or where the best station locations would be for the city of Missoula but as a whole and so we're we've received a draft back from that but we're we're awaiting the final result and we're optimistic that that study will show us where the most efficient locations are for in the interest of both agencies but also uh for the community as a whole all right let's uh move on and let's get Rod's call on the line Rod good morning you're on talk back with Paul Finley and Corey horsens go ahead please good morning uh first of all I'd like to say I appreciate the services of the Missoula Roy fire department when it comes to structure and people protection um however I do have a concern here it seems like we're on a uh Bond tour uh in Le of this uh study that they have going on where they we going to put fire stations um I don't know if we're aware what the current tax bills are on property owners right now but uh the city just got a big Bond put on theirs I'm guessing the results of this study are going to come to another Bond um in this past political season we heard how all this was the governor's fault which I disagreed with because we are loading it with these School bonds and fire bonds and um that really you know raise the property tax my other question is I would think if the study was conducted it might actually find that one or the other fire departments could reduce uh station numbers to reduce costs and yet another point if it's against the law to combine both fire uh departments why don't we work in the legislature here at the state level and get that changed I know the law enforcement andb and silver bowl is combined so I would think it'd be just as easy to do that with fire departments all right and I'll let you answer questions thanks for the call gentlemen yeah definitely uh some good points that Rod brought forward and and our discussions recently have been uh focused around the legislative efforts that could happen um there was a bill a couple years ago that was tried and uh and ultimately um didn't happen but certainly uh there's a number of agencies throughout the state who would like to have the opportunity to do so so legislatively you're absolutely right rod that is a that is a fix that needs to happen and we will continue to pursue that um one of the things that I will say about this study that's uh that's taking place now that we're awaiting the results of is that that uh a lot of this is based on forecasted growth and so we've taken um the issue at the why for instance our fire station number two which is out past the airport services that why in conjunction with Frenchtown rural fire district and so uh as you know there's a some huge growth plan for that area and so uh in order to get in front of that uh this station or this survey rather was conducted in order to help us out um and and we don't know what we don't know obviously and so we're using uh all of the information that we can gather through uh a number of different agencies locally and uh GIS mapping uh what have you in order to predict what what Missoula will look like in 15 years or 20 years or so on so we want to be in the right location to serve the public and and uh that's part of our goal moving into this the other thing about that to you uh Rod is that um we follow as closely as we can uh NFPA guidelines which uh help uh dictate virtually everything that we do uh and don't get me wrong we we we work as closely as we can to those guidelines we we are not uh neither agency here locally is uh fully um in line with NFPA or complies with NFPA but our goal uh of course the gold standard would be to comply but NFPA helps set standards as far as responses go and so uh part of your insurance and what have you is affected by the number of folks that we have in a particular location or your fire station location or a water supply and stuff like that so uh ultimately we do pay attention to how how we are impacting um you know the residents that we serve through uh hydrant build outs fire station build outs Staffing uh any number of things that you could ever imagine are taken into account in these NFPA standards and so um a lot of good points and uh recognizing too that we are looking at the same thing uh and as far as the taxes go I think uh you hit on a very important topic there and uh it's painful for all of us no doubt about it um and of course it's an individual decision whether not to um support anything um as far as uh your vote but um uh certainly um you know we we emphasize Community Ser uh emergency service because we're part of the community and uh we appreciate the support that's that the community has provided uh to us and uh um at some point I I you're right rod that we are going to have an Ask we don't know what that ask is at this point uh but certainly more information uh will be coming forward and hopefully we have the opportunity to talk to you again you bet you guys are welcome anytime we're going to come right back still have uh we have one caller waiting and several phone lines open you have a question for Missoula rural fire chief Paul Finley and deputy chief Cory hon they're here specifically to answer your questions so uh PE take take the take the opportunity right now to let them know what you're thinking we'll be right back after this did you receive a call or message that mentioned Social Security and demanded a immediate action did the caller know your social security number or other personal information and tell you that your social security number had been used in connection with the crime did you feel worried that your social security number might be suspended your bank account might be frozen or seized or you could be arrested that is not the Social Security Administration Social Security will not threaten you demand your personal information or instant payment email or text you pictures or documents or use a real government official's name to gain your trust Social Security does not accept payments by gift card prepaid debit card Internet currency or by mailing cash criminals use these forms of payment because they are hard to trace do not be fooled hang up ignore them report this criminal activity to the Social Security Administration office of the Inspector General at oig.ssa.gov produced at US taxpayer expense welcome back to TalkBack 7211 1290 is the number Peter Christ here Nick chenson taking your phone calls as he always does this morning producing TalkBack joining us in the studio missa Royal fire chief Paul Finley and we have we have Deputy Chief of Corey Hon's also here in the studio and uh you wanted to make a quick point before we get to our next caller go ahead Cory yeah thanks Peter just to just kind of piggy back on to what Paul was saying earlier in response to to Rod's call we certainly appreciate the uh and are sympathetic to the Public's um concerns around increasing taxes you know we're all taxpayers as well um I just wanted to clarify that the Missoula rural fire district and the City of Missoula are two separate entities so anyone's taxes who went up as a result of the passage of the last Mill Levy to support the city Fire Department would not recognize an increase in taxes should uh a levy come to the ballot uh in support of uh the Missoula rural fire district so there wouldn't be any double taxation there just wanted to to clarify that that's very important to know very important all right appreciate you sharing that uh Kevin is up next Kevin good morning sir you're on talk back with Paul Finley and Cory horsens go ahead uh yes gentlemen uh anybody can answer this question are I was wondering if you're aware of the missula city county public report it's a daily report that comes out U every day and it tells you about all the activity or incidences that have been responded to Via the uh police department the ambulance service and the fire department um it used to put down under every incident uh responding units such as your your fire trucks and everything um lately um for the last I believe nine months now they have eliminated that or they're not being transparent about it and I was just kind of curious if you're familiar with the issue and uh is there a problem with us not knowing what units are showing up at these scenes Uh Kevin I I apologize I don't know that information and uh but I can uh we will work towards uh an answer for that and uh and try to get that back out to you um we that's that's new to one to us uh both of us and so uh again we'll we'll work towards answering that question and and see what's going on there there's no reason um that we uh aren't able to share that information um certainly you know anybody who has a scanner or U you know an app anymore can uh really quite follow us quite well as far as dispatches go and what our units are assigned to and what have you and so uh certainly no no secrets out there amongst us and so but that is one thing that we can track down and and uh help out with so and then also uh is there a site that we can check and see if uh if they don't do is that you guys act uh keep updated that we can see any of your responses your of of of calls that's a very real possibility for us we're actually um switching uh some stuff up on our website and uh we may be able to do some sort of a dashboard on that uh in the future um to show what our units are doing um and that's another thing that we've taken a note on here this morning now that you've mentioned it um uh it is kind of interesting to see that call volume that's happened U you know for those of us that uh could have never predicted covid and the implications that Co had of course you know our call volume has uh risen greatly each year and and um we track that and uh it's uh again public information uh what we are doing right and so uh we're we're glad to share it um and you're disseminating that as as best you can I mean you don't have a separate division or Department to do that no we have a public information officer our battalion chief Gregor helps us out as much as possible in that realm but he is assigned to shift work and so uh you know he comes on for 24 hours and then leaves for 48 and so uh we don't have a good way currently of tracking it or letting that information out to the public but uh I can see the reason I got a followup question sure I got a followup question so on the big engines that are dispatched to these scenes and it looks like they have a crew of or four or more people in there are there paramedics that are on board those engines um generally so um our engines within the missou RO fire district are guaranteed to be Advanced life support the state has adopted that a advanced EMT is of that level and so generally speaking we split our paramedics up among the shifts and so that we are uh responding with a paramedic as often as possible but it's not always a paramedic however it is always Advanced life support capabilities and our engines are set up that way uh with Advanced life support uh equipment to go along with those Personnel who are responding and we also um attempt uh to put a couple of our folks through a paramedic class each year it's a huge obligation to the person uh but it's a benefit to the community and our folks recognize that and and many have stepped up and taken on those roles and and have saved countless lives in over the course of their careers uh with the skills that they've that they have and so um we again don't necessarily have paramedics on every rig but we do have advanced life support on every rig okay well thank you for coming on kgvo and giving us taxpayers an opportunity to ask your questions you bet Kevin thanks Kevin thanks for the call we're going to come right back we have a one minute timeout and we have all of our phone lines are free uh if you have a question for Missoula rural fire chief Paul Finley or deputy chief Cory hon or both uh we'd love to hear from you in the next 8 minutes or so and we'll be right back after this one minute timeout hard water need to replace your Social Security card in Most states you can request one online with a my Social Security account a my Social Security account gives you secure access to your personal earnings history and benefit status you can also get a proof of inome letter estimate and apply for benefits and more save time go online open a my Social Security account at ssa.gov SL myy account Social Security securing today and tomorrow produced at US taxpayer expense okay we are back this is TalkBack 7211 1290 is our number we're in the in the final segment with our our guests from Missoula rural fire chief Paul Finley and deputy chief Cory horsens gentlemen uh we have about o 5 minutes maybe 5 and a half minutes to wrap up so give us give us the meat of what you're asking of our of our listeners today yeah so uh we appreciate the opportunity to be on the show with you Peter and uh share some of our information um at this point what we are doing is uh a station location study that is helping us to identify some of the shortcomings of four of our current F five fire stations um as many of your listeners are probably aware we built a fire station in boner uh to replace place the one that was in piltzville uh a couple years ago and um we're very proud of that particular fire station um and the work that went into it and uh our people are housed in a far much safer facility than we are across the board otherwise some of our fire stations have um don't meet a number of the standards that are uh that we are attempting to achieve for the safety of our firefighters our uh fire gear that our fire our crews wear each day uh have some forever chemicals associated with them and so the storage of those chemicals inside of the or the storage of those turnouts the gear that we wear Inside the Fire Stations is uh dangerous to our crews in fact dangerous to the point where the folks who uh build that personal protective equipment for us actually wear personal protective equipment because of the forever chemicals that are part of our gear and so we're trying to uh make our facilities uh updated um as necessary AR and um also give our First Responders uh an opportunity to have a safe and uh long lasting career and then in retirement where they're healthy uh many of our folks um haven't had that opportunity and firefighters in particular have a higher instance of cancer much higher instance of cancer than uh the general public and so our goal uh moving forward is to not only locate fire stations in the correct area uh for the people that we serve uh the community that we serve but also ensure that our First Responders our firefighters at at each level are as protected as possible uh moving forward got about three minutes so uh Corey oh oh I'm sorry go ahead Nick please we have an app question and then we do have a quick callor but Sandy said do rural and City fire go through the same training are the benefits and pay similar what would attract someone to work for the rural vers City fire uh a lot of good questions there um so the testing there's a cpat test which if anybody's interested in that uh there's a cpat test that encourages uh that takes in the entire State uh coming up in January so that's where we each of our agencies hire from um and then um the pay um is not necessarily commensurate uh to the two agencies um there is a difference uh our folks are paid less um and and and what have you uh we um and our folks stay I think because of uh the variety of calls that we run we do a lot of rescues a lot of in-depth uh uh firefighting uh that um is um you know takes us to a lot of different locations for instance we go to um nearly to L hot springs and uh and and have a lot of challenges that way we have a lot of challenging rescues that we perform in in the rattlesnake and Beyond and so I think there's some draw to that um and um uh a lot of our folks though come through our our resident uh ranks uh which are the college age uh firefighters that we have and enjoy the camaraderie that they find within our organization and the family atmosphere that we have so um and that's that's a the the city has their own uh the city fire department has their own draws too and and that's not to negate those uh draws by any means but uh I can speak more uh quite a lot better towards the Missour Ro fire district car we got about a minute and a half so uh uh contact information if we want to find out more about Missoula rural fire and the work that you folks do please uh how do we contact you absolutely we're we're happy to answer any questions the public might have a great resource uh is our website mfdf fire.org or feel free to give our headquarters station a call and they can direct you uh to the right person that number is 406 549 6172 and again we're we're very happy to share any information that we can with the public well gentlemen thank you for your service to our our County our community uh and to all of the men and women who work with you God bless you and have have a Happy Thanksgiving and a and a and a wonderful holiday season thank you Peter and Nick we appreciate you guys really appreciate you being here to share that with us thank you yeah thank you both all right so Mr Nick uh as we look forward to uh we're we're going to be out of here for a couple days yep we're off tomorrow and then we're off Friday be back Monday with Rob nen and the first hour will likely be a best of all right so there you go and again a big thank you to all of you who called in this morning we uh we just deeply appreciate the service uh the folks from Missoula rural fire chief Paul Finley and deputy chief Cory horsens and all that you folks do so be aware that when you see those folks rushing down the street they might be going to help your neighbor or perhaps even your own home so anyway uh uh let's uh wish them well as they move forward so thanks for joining us here on kgvo we appreciate it as Nick said we're going to be taking the Thanksgiving holiday off and joining you again on Monday with one of our favorite guests Dr Rob nen he'll be on with us from 9:00 to 10