Ravalli County fire districts and wildfire resources

How many fire districts are there in Ravalli County?

The 2024 Ravalli County Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) states that the county is made up of 14 fire districts served by volunteer (primary), rural and, rarely, paid fire departments. The plan's fire district map names them: Florence Rural Fire, Three Mile Rural Fire, Stevensville Rural Fire, Stevensville City Fire, Victor Rural Fire, Pinesdale City Fire, Corvallis Rural Fire, Hamilton Rural Fire, Hamilton City Fire, Darby Rural Fire, Darby City Fire, West Fork Rural Fire, Painted Rocks Rural Fire and Sula Rural Fire.

Knowing your district matters for more than emergencies. The Fire In The Root Council tells residents with burning questions to contact their local fire chief, and a district is a sensible place to ask about neighborhood meetings and local programs. If you are not sure which district covers your address, the CWPP map and your property tax statement are the quickest ways to find out.

Who fights wildfires in the Bitterroot?

According to the CWPP, firefighting in Ravalli County is a coordinated effort among county fire resources, rural fire districts, the USDA Forest Service and the Montana DNRC, with mutual aid agreements in place between all firefighting entities in the county and with adjacent counties. Seasonal wildland firefighters are available through the Forest Service and DNRC.

Dispatch follows ownership. The plan explains that city and rural fire departments are mobilized through the Ravalli County 911 center, while wildfires on federal land are led by the Bitterroot Interagency Dispatch Center. Both are committed to interagency communication during a fire. For a homeowner, the takeaway is simple: call 911 for any fire, and let dispatch sort out jurisdiction.

What does the 2024 Ravalli County CWPP say?

The county's CWPP page states that the plan was approved by the Board of County Commissioners on February 20, 2024, replacing a plan approved in 2006. It was prepared for the county by DJ&A, and the county links the full plan and an online story map. The plan explains why the update mattered: an updated CWPP, less than ten years old, is required for the county to be eligible for federal funding for projects that reduce wildfire risk.

A few figures from the plan put the valley's exposure in context. Ravalli County covers about 2,400 square miles, of which privately owned land makes up 23.9 percent, mostly on the valley floor, while federal land covers 73.6 percent. The plan reports that in 2023, 62 percent of wildfires in the county were human caused, and that more than 500,000 acres burned in the county from 2000 to 2019. It names the Roaring Lion Fire (2016, 8,658 acres), and the Lolo Peak (2017) and Meyers Complex (2017) fires, which started in neighboring counties and crossed into Ravalli County. Our Bitterroot Valley wildfire history guide goes further into what those fires taught homeowners.

The plan also redrew the county's wildland-urban interface (WUI). If you want to know what WUI means on the ground here, see the wildland-urban interface in Missoula and Ravalli counties.

What does the CWPP tell homeowners to do?

The plan is clear that the house and the ground right around it come first. It states that reducing ignition potential within the home ignition zone, with priority given to the structure and the first five feet around it, is the most effective way for structures to withstand a wildfire, and that up to 90 percent of home losses from wildfire are caused by embers. Embers can ignite a house directly by landing on flammable materials, or indirectly by igniting vegetation or materials close to the home.

That is the logic behind most of our work, explained step by step in the home ignition zone guide and the zone 0 guide. The CWPP also notes that the county's subdivision regulations include provisions for homes in high fire hazard areas, covering access, roadway fuel treatments and a high fire hazard area management plan prepared by a professional forester or other accredited person. If you are building, read building in the WUI in Montana and confirm current rules with the county planning office.

How do I get a burn permit in Ravalli County?

The Ravalli County burn permit page says the county administers burn permits from March 1 to November 30, and that from December 1 to the end of February the Montana DEQ may issue permits. You obtain or renew a permit online at app.egovmt.com/burnpermit, and you must activate it each day you burn, online or by calling 866-212-6318. The county asks people not to call the dispatch center or the Sheriff's Office to ask about burning status. The governing rules are Ravalli County Ordinance No. 42, Fire Permit and Control Regulations, which is linked from that page.

Because activation is daily, check the permit system on the day you plan to burn. For how to build and light a pile that burns clean and stays put, see burning slash piles safely and legally, and for alternatives to burning, slash disposal options in Montana.

How do I sign up for Ravalli County emergency alerts?

The county's emergency notifications page names the Ravalli County Hyper-Reach System. You can register online through the link on that page, scan the QR code shown there, or sign up by phone at (406) 215-1909. The page says legacy landline phones in the county are already included for emergency notifications, so if you only have a cell phone, you need to register it yourself. Alerts cover local emergencies, threats, hazards, evacuation warnings and orders and other public safety messages, by text, email and phone. For problems registering, the page lists the Office of Emergency Management at (406) 375-6655 during business hours.

What is the difference between an evacuation warning and an order in Ravalli County?

The county's evacuation guidelines use two levels. A Warning means current or projected hazards in the area may require an immediate evacuation; it is the time for final preparations, and residents are responsible for moving their own property and livestock. People with special health needs should consider leaving at this stage. An Order means incident conditions present an immediate threat, and residents should leave the area immediately without stopping to move belongings or animals.

The page lists the Emergency Operations Center at 406-375-6650 for evacuation questions. Because livestock and trailers take time, the warning stage is the one to plan around. Our Ready, Set, Go evacuation plan guide and wildfire prep for barns, hay and livestock cover that planning.

Where can I get a free wildfire risk assessment in the Bitterroot?

The Fire In The Root Council offers a free wildfire home risk assessment, which it describes as a free, public resource to inform residents of their risk, with a professional site visit and recommendations. You request it through the scheduling form on the council's website. The council says its members include local fire protection agencies, state and local government, realtors, builders, insurance agents, homeowner associations and residents, and its stated mission is to promote the long-term reduction of wildfire risk throughout Ravalli County. The CWPP names the council, with the Forest Service and DNRC, as leading fire preparedness and prevention work in the county.

A free assessment and a contractor's estimate do different jobs. The assessment tells you what to fix; a crew like ours prices and does the cutting, chipping and cleanup. We explain the options in free wildfire risk assessments in western Montana.

Is there cost-share help for fuel reduction in Ravalli County?

Possibly, depending on funding at the time you apply. Bitter Root Resource Conservation and Development Area (RC&D), based in Hamilton, says it provides technical assistance and cost share grants to landowners and communities in Missoula, Mineral and Ravalli counties to reduce hazardous fuels and improve forest health on private land. It accepts applications year-round from individual landowners, groups of homeowners and communities, notes that it can take a few weeks before a forester contacts you, and states that all cost share projects are subject to grant funding availability. Its listed phone is 406.363.5450.

The Fire In The Root Council's programs page also lists DNRC's Western States Wildland Urban Interface grant program, and describes a past NRCS Hamilton Field Office cost-share opportunity for forest thinning that ran from 2022 to 2024 under a Joint Chiefs' Landscape Restoration Partnership award. Programs open and close, so treat any list as a starting point. Our cost-share and grant programs guide tracks what each program's page said when we last checked.

Do fire restrictions apply on private land in the Bitterroot?

Yes, when they are in effect. Restrictions are announced by the agencies with jurisdiction, and county commissions have their own authority on private land. Montana law (MCA 7-33-2212) lets a board of county commissioners designate high fire hazard areas on private land and land outside municipal, state or federal jurisdiction, and require people to stop activities or shift working hours to less critical times of day. What Stage 1 and Stage 2 actually prohibit, and the exemptions, are explained in Montana fire restrictions explained.

How HJ Property Care helps Bitterroot homeowners

We are based in Florence and work up and down the valley, from Florence and Stevensville to Corvallis, Hamilton, Victor and Darby. Our fire mitigation service is the physical side of what the CWPP and the assessment programs recommend: clearing the first few feet around the house, cleaning needles from roofs and gutters, removing ladder fuels, selective conifer thinning, limbing to ANSI A300 standards, and chipping or hauling the slash. We also handle hazard tree removal and trees near power lines. For the wider picture, start with our Montana Wildfire & Defensible Space Guide, or see fire mitigation in Hamilton.

Call HJ Property Care & Tree Service at (406) 215-7319 or request a free estimate. We walk the property with you, starting at the house and working outward, and an ISA Certified Arborist plans the tree work.

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