BELGRADE — On your way to Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport sits Central Valley Fire District Fire Station 1. As passengers and residents head to the airport, firefighters say they're having more conflict points as they try to respond to emergencies.
“Day to day have more and more trouble getting out of here,” says Central Valley Fire District Battalion Chief Dylan White.
White says when they get an emergency call, traffic often holds them up on Airway Boulevard.
“It's hard to say. I think anywhere from 30 to 90 seconds is long enough to be troublesome,” says White.
White says the traffic has gone up in the years since they opened the station on Airway Boulevard back in 2017. Latest numbers from MDT in 2023 and 2024 have daily traffic counts at more than 10,000 vehicles per day.
“It's certainly gotten worse. I think when the fire station opened, we were aware this could become a problem. We didn't think it would become a problem this fast,” says White.
Central Valley Board Trustee Rob Holt says they see more cars using the driveway as a turnaround or even parking there in some cases.
“Coming out of our firehouse, we had people thinking that we were their cell phone waiting line.
What Holt and members of the Department want to see? Signs.
“Heads up signs. And that would be a live, be multi-functional,” says Holt.
The Montana Department of Transportation says signage isn’t in the plan, but MDT did agree to put up stripes on Airway Boulevard.
But even with a temporary fix the concern is drivers still not paying attention.
As the fire District navigates how to make their driveway safer, they have a plea to drivers.
“Pay attention. Please pull over for our first responders. Every second counts when they're responding to somebody,” says Holt.
