Commissioners let Cabinet View Volunteer Fire Department dissolve
by Duane Williams, KLCB-KTNY Radio
August 22, 2012
The Lincoln County Commissioners have let stand a resolution to dissolve the Cabinet View Volunteer Fire Department.
The Lincoln County Commissioners unanimously approved a Resolution of Intent to Dissolve the Cabinet View Fire Service Area June 13, 2012.
The dissolution vote opened a 60 day window before taking effect, allowing protests to the dissolution from property owners within the Cabinet View Fire Service area. The sixty day window means the dissolution took effect August 13th, last Monday.
In the original resolution, the commissioners cited Cabinet View's failure to comply with Montana law by not obtaining Montana Department of Health and Human Service licensure, and ignoring the State's demand to cease responding to medical incidents; failure to work cooperatively with Libby Volunteer Fire Department, and Libby Volunteer Ambulance; and a refusal by Cabinet View to comply with Lincoln County's lawful request to cease self-dispatch to incidents beyond structure fire protection, such as vehicle accidents.
Residents signed a petition creating the fire service area in 2000 to cut down response times by having a fire station and fire department in the middle of the area and to obtain a good Insurances Services Office rating to provide a reduced rate for insurance on structures.
The fire service area protected 14 square miles (approx. 9,000 acres) having 250 homes; 1500 residents; a city/county municipal airport; a State fish hatchery with a residential compound; a Forest Service Regional Helibase; 12 businesses of varying sizes; the original Amish community-within-community is part of the fire service area, with a community school, country store, and log home business, and about 13 linear miles of a major U.S. Highway 2. All of the Cabinet View Fire Service Area is in the "wildland rural interface."
Sixty-six signatures of owners of real property within the Cabinet View Fire Service Area signed the petition to dissolve the Cabinet View Fire Service Area.
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By Duane Williams, KLCB-KTNY Radio, www.todaysbestcountryonline.com e-mail: klcb@frontiernet.net.
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