HEART BUTTE — The Heart Butte Volunteer Fire Department on the Blackfeet Reservation is operating without critical life-saving equipment after vandalism and theft struck the fire hall.
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Crews discovered the damage Saturday morning, Aug. 8, when they arrived at the fire hall to prepare trucks for a parade. They found a back door kicked in, cupboard doors ripped off, and bathroom doors destroyed. Walls in the bay area were damaged, with drywall on the floor.
Hand tools, turnout gear, and extrication equipment were taken. The department's three engines were stripped of gear, and auxiliary gas pumps used to pump water were also stolen. Two of the trucks were taken to Browning for repair.
Marti Rutherford, chief of Blackfeet Fire Rescue and the Browning Volunteer Fire Department, which oversees Heart Butte, said she cannot understand why anyone would steal fire equipment.
"We're in the middle of peak of wildland season, and we just lost our gear. What good are we if we have no gear? How do we protect ourselves? If now we can protect those guys for those engines, we can't even run the engine. There's nothing left," Rutherford said.
Rutherford said the department will pull resources from Browning to help cover additional acreage. She has been fielding calls from other departments around Montana offering equipment assistance. The department is working with the tribe to set up a donation zone for the public.
Blackfeet Law Enforcement is investigating the incident.
