East Valley Rural Fire District

08/10/2026

🚗🫧 CAR WASH THIS SATURDAY! 🫧🚗

Come out and support the East Helena Vigilantes Girls Flag Football Team as they take over the fire station for a car wash fundraiser!

📅 Saturday, August 15
⏰ 10 AM – 3 PM
📍 2694 Valley Dr., East Helena

Bring down your dirty car, support these athletes, and grab a hot dog lunch while you wait! Every donation helps the team get out there, play hard, and represent East Helena. 🏈

🚒 And since you’ll already be at the fire station… feel free to say hello to some of your local firefighters, check out the station and apparatus, and learn a little about what we do. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to serve your community as a volunteer firefighter, we’re always happy to talk or just come meet the crew.

But most importantly, come hungry, bring a dirty vehicle, and help us pack the station for these girls!

🏈 Go Vigilantes!
🚒 See you Saturday!

Please share and help us spread the word!

07/22/2026

Last night, members of our Fire Department spent time training on water rescue operations. While we hope we never have to use those skills, training is essential so we're prepared when someone needs help.

With warm weather here, we'd like to remind everyone to stay safe around the creeks, drainage ditches, and other waterways throughout our district.

Water can be much more dangerous than it appears. Even shallow creeks can have strong currents, slippery banks, hidden holes, debris, and rapidly changing water levels—especially after rainfall. Drainage ditches can also become fast-moving and extremely hazardous.

A few simple safety reminders:
🚒 Never swim alone.
💧 Keep children within arm's reach near the water.
🌧️ Stay out of creeks after heavy rain.
🚗 Never drive through flooded roads—**Turn Around, Don't Drown®**.
❌ Stay out of irrigation ditches
🦺 Wear a properly fitted life jacket when boating, kayaking, or fishing.
📞 If someone is in trouble in the water, call 911 immediately. Don't jump in after them. If possible, throw them something that floats or extend a long object while waiting for emergency responders.

The best water rescue is the one that never has to happen. A little caution can prevent a tragedy.

Stay safe!

07/13/2026

Whats the saying?? If you don't like the weather in Montana... just wait a few minutes!

After several days of intense heat, we're now under a Flood Advisory with thunderstorms, rain, and lightning expected across the Helena area. It's a good reminder of just how quickly conditions can change this time of year.

We were fortunate to have a safe and successful Fourth of July with very little fire activity, and we want to thank everyone who celebrated responsibly. Your efforts helped keep our community safe.

Even with the rain, don't let your guard down. Fire danger remains elevated, and once things dry out, it won't take long for conditions to become favorable for wildfires again.

As the storms move through:
🌧️ Never drive through flooded roadways. Turn Around, Don't Drown.
⚡ When thunder roars, go indoors. Lightning can strike well away from the storm.
🌬️ Be prepared for strong winds, heavy rain, and rapidly changing conditions.

Our volunteers are monitoring the weather and stand ready to respond if needed.

If you experience a weather-related emergency—such as flooding that threatens life or property, downed power lines creating an immediate hazard, a lightning strike causing a fire, or someone in need of urgent rescue—don't hesitate to call 911. If it's not an emergency, report non-urgent issues to the appropriate utility or local agency so 911 remains available for those who need it most.

Stay weather-aware, stay safe, and please look out for your neighbors.

06/30/2026

🇺🇸 Happy Fourth of July from your local volunteer firefighters! 🇺🇸

Before we get to the explosions…

We’d like to pause and remember the three firefighters who lost their lives and the two who were seriously injured in the recent Colorado wildfire burn over event. Emily Barker, Nick Hutcherson and Sydney Watson answered the call knowing the risks and made the ultimate sacrifice. Please keep their families, friends, and fellow firefighters in your thoughts this holiday. Honor them by making good decisions so everyone gets to go home.

🔥 Burning Restrictions Begin July 1

As of July 1, open burning in Lewis and Clark County is closed.

Translation: If you’re thinking, “It’ll probably be fine…”—it’s probably not.

The grass is going to dry out, the wind is unpredictable, it doesn’t take much this time of year to have a huge problem from a small mistake.

🎆 Fireworks

We know…
“Hold my beer” is not an approved ignition source.

If you’re lighting fireworks:
💥 Keep them away from dry grass.
💥 Keep a hose or water nearby.
💥 Soak them before throwing them away.
💥 If the firework lands somewhere you have to say, “Uh oh…” you’ve already made a poor choice.

📞 When to Call 911

✅ Call 911 if:
🚒 A fire is spreading.
🚑 Someone is seriously injured or having a medical emergency.
🚗 There’s a serious crash.
⚠️ There is an immediate danger to life or property.

❌ Please don’t call 911 to ask:
• “Can I burn today?”
• “Are fireworks legal?”
• “Can you tell my neighbor to stop lighting off fireworks?”
• “My cousin lost an eyebrow…”

Dispatchers are there for emergencies. Help keep the lines open for people who truly need them.

🇺🇸 Celebrate. Eat too much. Watch the fireworks.

Just don’t become the fireworks.

From all of us at East Valley fire department, have a safe, fun, and memorable Fourth of July. We love to wave at you— just not from your driveway at 2:00 a.m. 🚒

05/24/2026

Heads up! You will see increased smoke again in the area of the Jericho Fire. 👀 Please make sure it’s a new start in the area before calling it in!

05/21/2026

As EMS week comes to a close we owe a huge thank‑you to the incredible EMTs of East Valley Fire Department. Your dedication, compassion, and steady professionalism make all the difference on some of our community’s toughest days. You show up—day and night, in every kind of weather—to protect and care for our neighbors, and we are deeply grateful.

To our EMTs: we see your sacrifice, we appreciate your commitment, and we’re proud to serve alongside you. Thank you for everything you do for East Valley.

05/13/2026

Elevated to critical fire weather conditions develop this afternoon amid hot, dry, and breezy to windy conditions. There will also be gusty showers and thunderstorms that race northeastward in the afternoon and evening. Be sure to avoid actions that may cause sparks and be ready to take shelter from storms if outdoors.

04/19/2026

🔥 We’re Making a Little Smoke Today… (On Purpose) 🔥

Our crews will be out doing some burning today, primarily along Canyon Ferry and Wylie.

If you see smoke, no need to panic—it’s us.

🚒 A few quick favors to keep everyone safe:

• Try to stay out of the smoke, we do our best to mitigate how much is going into the roadway, so just be careful!

• Keep an eye out for fire trucks and personnel

This is part of planned district maintenance, and we’ll be out there most of the day.

Thanks for helping us keep things safe (no need to call in the smoke, we are around there somewhere! 😉).

Photo Cred: Jacob Ricciardi (FF/ EMT)

04/15/2026

This week, we celebrate our incredible dispatchers during Telecommunications Week.

Thank you for being the calm voice on the other end of the line during some of the hardest moments people will ever face. Your ability to stay steady, think quickly, and care deeply makes a difference in every single call.

While your work often happens behind the scenes, it is absolutely essential to everything we do. We are grateful for your dedication, your professionalism, and the compassion you show every day.

Happy Telecommunications Week—we appreciate you more than words can say. Lewis and Clark County / City of Helena 911 Center

Last week, Mayor Dean proclaimed April 12-18 as Public Safety Telecommunicator Week!

We are so grateful for the amazing men and women who work in our 9-1-1 dispatch center. They play crucial role in protecting human life and property within our community by answering emergency calls, engaging with callers who are often distressed or in danger, gathering critical information, identifying the nature of emergencies, and dispatching appropriate public safety resources.

04/14/2026

We’ve been getting so many questions about how to join the department.(Okay… maybe “so many” is generous, but several.)

If you’ve ever wanted to be a firefighter and/or EMT, now’s a great time to jump in. We will teach you everything you will need to know. We just put a link in the site that can direct anyone to the correct department.

Age doesn't matter as long as you are over the age of 18 and want to help!

Hit the link in our bio to learn more or join the crew!