Polson Rural hires veteran firefighter as chief of vast district
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POLSON – Gordon Gieser was about to retire, but his wife Kelly had other ideas, he said.
Gieser, 61, took over as fire chief at Polson Rural Fire District in September.
He came to Polson after 30 years as fleet supervisor with Missoula Rural Fire District because he wanted to be closer to his daughter and three grandchildren who live in Columbia Falls.
Gieser worked with former Polson Rural Fire Chief Paul Laisy for two weeks prior to taking over. The two had worked together at Missoula Rural Fire District for 15 years, Gieser said.
The Nebraska native also previously worked as a shop foreman at a vehicle electronics shop for 11 years and on the Alaska Pipeline for two years.
Along the way he was a volunteer firefighter for 42 years combined in Florence, Frenchtown and Superior.
‘A lot of work to do’
Gieser said there is a lot of work to do, specifically noting that the district is in the initial phase of beginning of study for where it would put a fourth station. There is no timeline for the building’s construction, he said.
The district currently has three stations, including Big Arm, Irvine Flats and the main one on Regatta Road north of Polson.
The 200-square-mile district stretches from Big Arm on the north to Minesinger Lane on the south and Hellroaring Creek on the east to Garcon Gulch near Hot Springs on the west.
Gieser – who oversees a department that has one other paid employee, Board Secretary Bonnie Manicke, and 41 volunteers – has had two relatively large fires to deal with so far: the “windy day” fires on Oct. 17 at Irvine Flats and Walking Horse Lane that totaled 44 and 1,206 acres, respectively.
Gieser also noted that Laisy recently finished an ISO, or Insurance Service Office, exam for the district that lowered the district’s rating from a 7 to a 6. This rating – which ranges from 1-10 with 1 being the best – should result in lower homeowner insurance rates for those who live within 5 road miles from one of the district’s stations, Gieser said.
He added that it will probably take around two years to figure out how many or which customers will be impacted by the new ISO rating.
