Sonny Tapia – Independent Record, Helena, Mont.
Jun. 27—A new quick-response unit was anonymously donated to a volunteer fire department, but some members of the board may not want it.
The Canyon Creek Rural Fire District volunteer fire department was gifted a $55,000 truck from a community member in Canyon Creek on June 22, something the department has been requesting for months from the board, Chief Jonathan Cunningham said.
A 2024 Dodge Ram 2500HD Tradesman rolled off the lot and into the garage at the fire department awaiting its upgrades like Rhino Bed Liner, lights, decals, toppers and more through donations from the Canyon Creek Fire Auxiliary.
A quick-response unit vehicle responds to every call the department goes to for medical purposes, and since receiving the truck it has already been used at three calls.
It caused a stir from the board, according to Cunningham, since he has been pushing for a new command and quick-response unit vehicle, but faced pushback from some on the board of trustees.
“I have no idea why anybody could look a gift horse in the mouth and say ‘no.’ We’re not costing the taxpayers any money,” Cunningham said.
The five-person board consists of Rick Grady, board chair, Jim Thomas, vice chair, Ellen Eskildsen, secretary, Wendy Smith-Adamson, treasurer, and Max Eskildsen, trustee.
Grady and Max Eskildsen declined to comment on the matter, with Eskildsen claiming he could not comment since it has to be voted on at the next board meeting, which is July 15.
Thomas, who was in support of the new vehicle, was shocked by the generosity of a community member and said “thank you” to them in his interview.
He added that it was a great situation on one hand because the community member felt philanthropic enough to donate that amount of money and stay anonymous, but it was sad because they had to donate money to make it happen.
“The board of trustees is not doing its job. It is too busy trying to do the chief’s job,” Thomas said.
The vice chair said he has served on multiple boards and is taking training courses online through Gov. Greg Gianforte’s office on the best board practices.
Thomas said there was a lesson on how to identify a dysfunctional board and he said every one of the points applied to the Canyon Creek Rural Fire District board of trustees.
Thomas and Cunningham continued to show gratitude toward the anonymous donor, but had similar opinions regarding the “dysfunctional” board.
At a previous meeting, Thomas made a motion to allow the department to purchase a new QRU vehicle and was outvoted by his fellow board members.
“It’s always ‘me, me, me’ and not about the community,” Thomas said.
Cunningham said two or three board members show a disregard for himself and the firefighters at the department. “It’s their say, their way,” Cunningham said.
There are eight firefighters listed on the fire district’s website.
The department’s previous vehicle was a 2014 GMC Yukon that was donated by the West Valley Fire Department. Cunningham said Canyon Creek was grateful for the department’s donation, but it was costing more money than it was worth.
He said the Yukon had to have an engine replaced and the transmission blew out in March. The volunteer department has been operating without a QRU vehicle since then and did not want to put a $5,500 transmission into a $6,500 vehicle, Cunningham said.
The transmission caused the vehicle to break down multiple times, so having a brand new vehicle with a warranty will be more cost effective in the long run for the community and department.
The board will have to vote on whether the department can accept the donation and Cunningham and Thomas do not know what will happen if the board votes against it.
Earlier this year, three board members and the former chief of the department resigned due to “the way the board was going,” Thomas said.
“If this doesn’t get approved, come hell or high water, I will make sure that our community has medical responding to their house when they call 911,” Cunningham said.
He said if the board does not approve the donation, the department will likely use the truck anyway because he does not want to deal with a board that is impeding progress in the department.
The next board meeting is 6:30 p.m. July 15 at the firehall. The meeting can be viewed on Zoom through a link on the website.
Sonny Tapia is a criminal justice and education reporter for the Helena Independent Record.
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