State of Montana Newsroom
Governor Gianforte Holds Townhall in Broadus
Continues 56 County Tour in Powder River County
BROADUS, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte continued his 56 County Tour in Powder River County, holding a townhall in Broadus last night with ranchers, firefighters, first responders, and community members.
“Getting outside of Helena to hear directly from Montanans is the most important part of my job,” Gov. Gianforte said. “We’ll continue to work with local leaders to address the important issues facing Montanans like protecting our communities from wildfire, making roads safer, and investing in opportunities so that everyone in our state can prosper.”
Gov. Gianforte holding a townhall in Broadus
While in Broadus, Gov. Gianforte convened a group at the V.F.W Post to thank them for their quick response to a fire that broke out late last month. During the townhall, the governor fielded questions on wildfire, financial support for fire fighters, and water issues.
On July 21, lightning strikes started two fires in Broadus. Crews from the Montana Department of Resources and Conservation (DNRC) and from the Bureau of Land Management responded immediately and were able to quickly contain both fires with the support of local ranchers and the Broadus Volunteer Fire Department (BVFD).
Working with the BVFD, local Rancher Bill Gay cut fire lines near the fire start while a strike team responded directly with handlines to prevent the spread.
According to DNRC, a majority of fires year to date have ignited due to lightning.
“We are a small fire department, and generally we have six people responding to fire so we couldn’t be successful without the community,” said Clint Pedersen, BVFD Assistant Chief. “Having the governor come to hear directly from us on how we can continue to provide support for local fire fighters was a real benefit. We’re all united in trying to keep our communities safe and protect against wildfire.”
In each year since Gov. Gianforte took office, DNRC has kept 95% of fires in its direct protection to 10 acres or fewer. The state has also placed over 130,000 forested acres under management since 2021.
In the last two legislative sessions, Gov. Gianforte was proud to advance historic legislation to improve forest health and protect communities from wildfire. Signing House Bill 883 into law in 2023, DNRC was allocated $60 million over the biennium to significantly increase the pace and scale of management practices that improve forest health, reduce wildfire risk, and increase wildfire preparedness. House Bill 127 was signed into law in April 2025 to continue these important investments.
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