Helena fire department welcomes three probationary firefighters as retirements loom

Helena Fire Department added three probationary firefighters on May 22, 2026, putting fresh recruits into training just as the city faces coming retirements and continued pressure on emergency coverage. The new hires are being folded into station life, response routines and day-to-day firehouse expectations while Helena tries to keep staffing steady.

The first year for each probationary firefighter is expected to include about 240 hours of hands-on entry-level training, along with mentoring on emergency protocols and station operations. The work is meant to prepare them for the full range of calls Helena Fire handles across the city and Lewis and Clark County, from engine operations to standpipe skills and other basic tasks that have already been part of the training process.

The hiring comes as several firefighters approach retirement in the coming months. Fire Chief Jon Campbell, a firefighter since 1999 and Helena’s chief for five years, said he will retire from the fire service in July 2026 and remain with the city through the beginning of July while officials search for a successor. His departure will add another layer of transition for a department already working through personnel turnover.

The staffing challenge is not new. Helena’s 2023 Fire Department Master Plan said annual fire call volume has nearly doubled over the last 25 years while staffing levels have remained the same. That plan recommended major changes, including a third fire station and a co-located training facility. City leaders created a committee to analyze the plan in August 2022, after public feedback on the proposal closed on February 21, 2022.

Labor and budget disputes have added to the strain. In May 2026, an arbitrator ordered Helena to pay $900,000 in back pay to 36 firefighters after a 2024 contract dispute. City management had proposed reducing the department from eight firefighters on daily staffing to seven, a move union leaders warned would limit how many calls the department could handle.

Helena has been here before. A 2018 hiring cycle showed that new firefighters stayed in probationary status for their first year before being divided among the department’s three shifts. This latest class follows the same basic model, but it arrives at a moment when response capacity, leadership turnover and long-term staffing needs are all converging at once.