Helena West Valley Fire Rescue names new fire chief

David Hamilton, 49, said "fire runs in his blood," since his father was a firefighter for West Valley in the late '70s and '80s.

Hamilton is a self-proclaimed homegrown kid who grew up in the north valley of Helena, went to Rossiter Elementary School and enjoys helping people whenever they need it.

He said becoming fire chief never crossed his mind since he became a firefighter in his mid-20s.

Hamilton joined the Lewis and Clark County Fire Department in 1997 and said he has enjoyed every moment of his career.

Later in his life he joined the volunteer fire department, and said he is proud to have the faith of the board when he received the position.

Hamilton said the West Valley Volunteer Fire Department responded to 921 calls in 2023 and that volunteers should be proud of their work they do in the community. 

The calls are increasing, he said, but he knows his officers and staff are more than capable of handling situations that arise, so he is not called out to every call.

The reports are growing because the community is expanding, Hamilton said, and he added when you get more people moving in and creating new homes it adds another level of calls.

The job of fire chief includes more responsibilities, which means more time spent at the station and being involved with work, but he said his wife and family understand his passion for his career.

He said they have all been supportive of his decision to take on the new role, but he has plans to keep his work-life balance in check because he knows it is important.

Hamilton said he knows from experience that a fire department will take anything you give because of its demanding tasks. He said he looks forward to offering quality service to the community and continuing the service the volunteer fire department provides.

According to a Facebook posting, July was the busiest month for West Valley Fire Rescue, with 100 calls, which was also a new monthly record for the department. In 2023, the department responded to 633 emergency medical service calls, 56 vehicle crashes, 22 structure or vehicle fires and 12 wildland/grass fires. The Facebook posting noted the remaining 198 calls were "Service Calls" including but not limited to: natural gas leaks, down power lines, smoke scares and false alarms.

West Valley -- which serves the West Helena Valley, Unionville, Whitlatch, North Hills and Lewis and Clark County -- averaged 4.6 firefighters per call with an average response time of 9:09 minutes. They said 2-3 p.m. Thursday was the busiest day of the week.

Hamilton is filling a post left vacant by the resignation of Frank Dahlquist, who has been accused of participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection of the U.S. Capitol. He faces felony offenses of civil disorder and assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers.

Dahlquist was sworn in November 2022 as the new fire chief of West Valley Fire Rescue, replacing Jerry Shepherd, who retired. He and his family moved to Helena from Monroe, Washington, West Valley officials said.