Montana State Office
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Excess BLM Radios Go to Worden Fire Department
The Montana/Dakotas Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recently assisted the Worden Fire Department (WFD) with the acquisition of much-needed communication equipment. The BLM sold 33 portable radios, complete with accessories, to the Worden Fire Department for the bargain basement price of $25 each.
Lance Taylor, chief of Worden Fire, worked with Alan Miller, BLM electronics technician, to lay the groundwork for the sale of the equipment. A chance conversation between former BLM volunteer Tracy Livingston and Stuart Andersen (a Worden Fire volunteer) led to the contact between Taylor and Miller. Miller said it was the first major excess of radio equipment to local cooperators out of his radio shop. The BLM utilizes handheld and mobile radio equipment to communicate during wildland fires and the course of normal business.
According to Taylor, “This deal has helped out the WFD more than words can say. We were in the Dark Ages when it came to communications. Some of our radios were 12 to 15 years old, and most were starting to break down and become more and more unreliable. We purchased our newest ones several years ago through a county-wide grant; they had become totally useless, to say the least. This purchase has saved us tens of thousands of dollars and will allow us to focus on other needs. We appreciate both Tracy Livingston’s and the BLM’s help with this opportunity, which will enhance the safety of the firefighters on the Huntley Project.”
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
Montana State Office 5001 Southgate Drive Billings, MT 59101