Richland County Sheriff's Department

The Richland County Sheriff’s Department is currently staffed by seven officers, five jailers and five dispatch personnel.  Their jurisdiction covers the entirety of Richland County except for the cities of Sidney and Fairview who each have a police department.  The Sheriff’s Department and the Sidney Police Department occupy the same facility and co-exist very well, sharing resources and information to help solve crimes.  The Richland County Jail can hold up to 17 inmates and is ran by the Sheriff’s Department.  Once hired, officers of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department must complete a 12 week course at the Montana Law Enforcement Academy within one year of their hire date.  This course covers physical training, firearms, driving school and academics.  Richland County’s crime rate is relatively low compared to most other areas.  Violent crimes such as rape and murder are very rare, with burglary, DUIs (driving under the influence) and MIPs (minor in possession) being the most prevalent crimes. The Richland County Sheriff’s Department is involved with the Big Muddy River Task Force based out of Wolf Point. This drug task force is funded by a grant from the Montana Board of Crime Control.

The Sidney Police Department is staffed by ten officers and one administrative person.  Their training is the same as for the Sheriff’s Department, completion of a 12-week course at the Montana Law Enforcement Academy.  They continue their training as needed, including firearms and specialty training.  The Sidney Police Department runs the D.A.R.E. program (which is a County-wide program) and is actively involved with the school districts in Richland County.  They also offer a bicycle safety course every spring.  Again, the crime rate is pretty mid-stream with violent crimes at a low rate and DUIs, domestic violence, theft and bad checks being the prevalent crimes.  The average response time for the Sidney Police Department is 1-1/2 - 2 minutes. This police department believes in being pro-active when it comes to handling crime and attempts to handle each situation equally and as quickly as possible.

Fairview Police Department

The Fairview Police Department is staffed by three full-time officers.  Their calls are routed through the Richland County Sheriff’s Office.  Their formal training also consists of completion of the 12-week course at the Montana Law Enforcement Academy.  While their office is located at 318 S. Central Avenue in Fairview, any prisoners are transported to the Sidney jail.  Their crime rate is mid-stream with burglary and drugs being their prevalent crimes.  Their response time is 2-3 minutes.

Sidney Health Center

Sidney Health Center (SHC), one of the finest medical complexes in Eastern Montana, is a full-service medical facility serving the greater Richland County area.  The combined facility includes a 42-bed hospital, 93-bed Sidney Health Center Extended Care unit and The Lodge at Lone Tree Creek a 36 unit assisted living quarters.  SHC employs nearly 400 persons at a salary in excess of $6 million.  Working together, these employees are able to provide the Richland County area with a full continuum of high quality health care services.  Sidney Health Center’s thirty-four medical and non-medical departments exist to bring together a team of people who have a strong commitment to serve area communities.  Materials Management, the purchasing department, averages between 300-350 purchase orders a month.  The Engineering department maintains electrical power, water, heating and air conditioning, performing safety inspections and keeping things in check with state regulations.  Food Services, serving over 168,000 meals per year, is responsible for preparing and serving meals to patients in accordance with their specific dietary needs., and also to physicians, employees and guests.  Housekeeping is responsible for cleaning and disinfecting approximately 110,000 square feet.  Over 50 Emergency Medical Technicians provide ambulance service to the Sidney, Fairview, Lambert and Culbertson areas.

www.sidneyhealth.org

Sidney Health Center provides emergency services, support services and general and specialized acute care services in both the inpatient and outpatient settings; it is SHC’s mission to help those they serve achieve their highest level of health and well-being. Sidney Health Center is staffed by fifty dedicated registered nurses, nine licensed practical nurses, ten certified nurses assistants and four ward clerks.  SHC’s surgery team consists of three surgical technicians, two Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) and five nurses who perform more than 100 surgeries per month.  One scrub technician, one nurse and one CRNA are always on call Monday through Sunday, 24 hours a day.  In addition to the Surgery Team and Nursing Services, Sidney Health Center also consists of the following departments:  Radiology, [Mammography, Nuclear Medicine, Ultrasound, Cat Scan (Computerized Axial Tomography)], Pharmacy Services, Health Information Services, Laboratory, Home & Community Based Services, Audiology, Hospice, Home Health, Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy, and Occupational Therapy. In 1990, SHC was selected as one of the top ten financial performers in the nation, the smallest hospital on the list.  In Richland County, the hospital also oversees the MonDak Clinic and Pharmacy in Fairview, and DuraMed, a home oxygen and medical supply store, and other outreach health care programs. SHC has 14 full time physicians and specialists, a psychologist and regular visiting specialists.  All told, Richland County has 61 registered nurses, 10 practical nurses, 4 dentists, and 3 optometrists.     

The Lodge

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Emergency/Disaster Services

Richland County Ambulance Service is a county service operated by Sidney Health Center.  What the County pays the hospital to operate this service makes up about 1/3 of the Ambulance Service’s budget; the remainder comes from fees. The County buys/owns the vehicles and the hospital stocks them with all the equipment and supplies.

With the hospital operating the service, it allows the ambulance employees to be Sidney Health Center employees for insurance purposes.  Sidney Health Center takes care of billing, record keeping, supplies, etc.                     

Richland County Ambulance Service currently has 49 nationally registered emergency medical technicians on the service:20 EMT’s in Sidney, 14 in Fairview, 9 in Savage and 6 in Lambert. They respond to approximately 350 calls per year with about 260 from Sidney; Fairview runs about 50 per year, and about 30 from Savage.  As volunteers of the Ambulance Service these EMT’s respond from their homes, work or wherever they may be.  On the average, the Savage ambulance is rolling within 4 minutes of being called; Fairview within five minutes, and six minutes in Sidney, and within the city of Sidney they average being on the scene in nine minutes.                                                         

The State of Montana is very progressive in the field of emergency medical services and well respected throughout the nation.  Several Montana training programs have been adopted nation-wide.  Richland County Ambulance Service received the Ambulance Service of the Year Award from the Montana Emergency Medical Services Association in 1991 and 1996.The Richland County EMT’s have worked in Helena, Billings, Hardin, Bozeman, Great Falls, as well as in Alabama, Arizona, California, North and South Dakota and Washington State, and around the world in the oil field.

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Fire Departments (All Volunteer)

Sidney Fire Department

The Sidney Volunteer Fire Department was formed in 1913.  The fire marshal is the only full-time employee, with 33 volunteer firemen currently on the roster.  Volunteers are usually 21-34 years of age when they join and are asked to give a 20-year commitment.  The current volunteers are all men, but the fire departments is open to women as well.

The Sidney Fire Department currently has four city vehicles and six county vehicles.  The city vehicles include three fire engines and one equipment van.  The equipment van is sent on all fire calls except wild land fires.  The equipment van carries extra equipment, such as air tanks that there is no room for on the engines.  The county vehicles consist of two main engines, one tanker and three grass rigs.  There are 13 stations located at farms and ranches in the rural areas throughout Richland County.  The tanker holds 3,600 gallons of water and is sent to all rural fires.  These vehicles are paid for in a number of ways: partial grants, County and City assistance and the fire department has also done fund raising to purchase some of the vehicles.  The fire marshal does all maintenance other than major mechanical on their vehicles.                                 

These volunteers are mandated to receive 30 hours of training per year, with additional training available County wide.  These firemen rely on Sidney’s volunteer EMTs for any medical treatment needed, although they do receive CPR training.  All volunteers are on 24-hour, seven days a week on-call duty.  When a fire call is received by the Sidney Police Department, the Police Departments alerts the fireman with a siren that can be heard city-wide or they use pagers to notify volunteers.  Their response time is tracked by the police department in their incident reports, as well as by the fire department itself as firemen check in for calls. The Sidney Fire Department responds to approximately 70 calls per year, including structure fires, wild land fires, hazardous material calls and oil rig fires.  The Sidney Fire Department’s area includes most of Richland County except for the Lambert fire district, which is responsible for grassland fires within that district.  As well as responding to calls throughout Richland County, Sidney’s firefighters assist neighboring fire departments when needed.  Sidney’s Fire Department also responds to areas in North Dakota which are in close proximity to Sidney.

The fire marshal is also involved in other various duties such as business and school inspections, fire investigation, proposals for new buildings, presentations to schools and various organizations and water meter reading.  The Sidney Fire Department also donates a fire detector as part of a welcome package to new parents, and the fire hall is open to scheduled tours.

The Lambert Fire Department covers a section of Richland County referred to as a fire district and provides grassland protection to that district.  This fire district was formed in the 1970’s and consists of a fire chief and approximately 19 volunteer firemen.  Lambert’s firemen receive wild land training.  Their equipment includes one engine truck, two grass rigs, one tender truck and one BLM truck which they store for the state.  The Lambert Fire Department responds to approximately 5-15 calls per year  In the event of a fire, members are contacted over the telephone on what is called a fire bar wherein one call goes to all members at the same time and keeps ringing until the phone is answered.

Savage’s fire department  joined the State Association in the late 1950s.  It currently has 28 volunteer firemen who do an average of 20 hours of training per year.  Their firefighting equipment includes: one 750 gallon pumper (structure fires only), one 600 gallon pumper (grass and structure fires), a 300 gallon grass rig, a 600 gallon gas rig, a 4,200 gallon tender truck, a satellite grass rig, and an equipment van.  They also house a Richland County Ambulance.  They answer approximately 10-12 calls per year and are alerted through law enforcement via a pager system.  The first person to the fire hall then hits the public siren.

Fairview’s fire department currently has 19-24 volunteers.  Their equipment includes two engines, one tanker, two grass rigs, one multi-purpose water tanker and one equipment van.  They answer about 40-50 calls per year and are alerted through a pager system.