The history of the Libby Volunteer Fire Department dates back more than 100 years. It is both a rich and colorful past that remains an important part of the lives and history of Libby, Montana.

As a result of the lumber boom typical of the early 1900’s, Libby was experiencing a growth spurt that prompted the formation of the Libby Volunteer Fire Department in 1911. In response to fires, volunteers would rush to assist by forming bucket brigades. These men, all ready for action when a fire broke out, would line up to the nearest water source and pass buckets hand in hand to the fire, working relentlessly until the fire was extinguished.

Over the years, with increasing fires, the Libby Volunteer Fire Department became better organized leading to a numbering system starting in 1957. That year, the Lincoln County Rural Fire District #1 was formed. Up until this time the fire department was strictly a city-based operation. This expansion resulted in the department becoming a dual fire department with tax revenues from both districts providing a lucrative source for the majority of the funding needed for general operations.

Most notably, the Libby Volunteer Fire Department carries an ISO Fire Protection Class 3 rating with the Insurance Service Office, a Chicago-based company that collects data, evaluates risk, and reports information about property and casualty insurance risk based on individual department’s structure fire suppression capabilities. Because of this rating, which is the best of any other volunteer fire department in the state of Montana, property owners benefit directly by receiving lower insurance premiums.