25 Volunteer Firemen
Fire Insurance Class Five in City
Fire Insurance Class Eight outside City
The Cut Bank Volunteer Fire Department has 25 volunteer firefighters. The officers of the fire department consist of the Fire Chief, Assistant Fire Chief, Training Officer, Assistant Training Officer, Safety Officer, and Secretary/Treasurer. Each firefighter is equipped with protective turnout gear The Fire Hall is located at 911 East Railroad Street. The building is a metal building and consists of six stalls which house the Water Tender, Rural #1, Rural #2, Engine #5, Engine #6, and Rescue #1. The Hall also consists of a meeting room where training for the firefighters is conducted, an office for the officers of the department and a storage room for needed supplies.
Early History
Cut Bank Volunteer Fire Department was organized in 1917 with Fire Chief Jens Bakke and all members of the city council on the fire roster. In November 1917, the State Fire Marshall, A. E. Ecklund, inspected the fire apparatus. He was impressed with the enthusiasm of the members of the fire department.
Fire Chief Alfred Klien and 15 volunteer firemen composed the Volunteer Fire Department by 1929. The Fire Department had: a truck with a combined hose of 1400 feet, a ladder of 50 feet and a 50 gallon chemical engine; two hose carts each with 400 feed of hose; an electric fire alarm; and a 90,000 gallon water tank with 14,685 feet of water main with 38 fire plugs. The truck was housed in Carl Clapper’s automotive garage.
In 1936 through a joint effort between the Cut Bank Volunteer Fire Department and the City of Cut Bank, City Hall was built to house the City offices on the east side of the building, the fire truck on the west side of the building and the back of the building was living quarters for two firemen who could respond to a fire immediately with the truck. The other volunteers lived in their own homes and arrived separately.