GFFR’s travel times to emergencies are longer than the national average. Longer travel times can mean more damage to structures and worse injury outcomes.
Great Falls Police spend about 90% of a shift responding to active calls. Due to staffing demands, officers have only about 10% of their time available for proactive policing.
In 2024, City prosecutors were responsible for more than 1,000 criminal citation cases each, not including traffic citations.
The City’s footprint has grown by more than 44% in the last 55 years, putting more strain on public safety resources and increasing response times.
As Great Falls has expanded, the demands on our fire department have outpaced available resources, directly impacting emergency response times.
Growing Coverage Area: Between 1970 and 2020, the geographical size of Great Falls expanded from 14 square miles to 23 square miles.
Surging Call Volumes: In 1970, GFFR responded to 825 calls. By 2020, that number skyrocketed to 8,575 calls.
Decreased Staffing: Despite the massive increase in area and calls, firefighter staffing actually decreased from 69 firefighters in 1970 to 60 firefighters in 2020.
Response Time Gaps: The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standard for a first arriving apparatus is 4 minutes. Currently, GFFR’s emergent response time averages 5 minutes and 58 seconds.
On-Scene Personnel: The NFPA requires 15 personnel to combat a single-family residential fire. GFFR currently responds with 13 personnel.
Law enforcement in Great Falls is actively battling complex, high-risk trends, including a surge in drug overdoses, severe drug trafficking, and rising juvenile gang violence.
The Overdose Crisis:
Total overdoses have increased by 57% over a four-year period, rising from 37 in 2022 to 58 in 2025.
Between 2022 and 2025, there were 33 fatal overdoses.
Of those fatal overdoses, 76% did not receive naloxone treatment.
Drug Task Force (RCDTF) Seizures & Activity:
Between 2022 and 2025, the task force seized over 95,000 grams of methamphetamine and over 102,000 fentanyl pills.
Despite these significant seizures, overall task force enforcement activities have declined, with felony arrests dropping by 78% from 2022 to 2025.
Street Gang Activity:
Criminal street gang activity in Great Falls primarily involves juveniles and young adults between the ages of 12 and 25.
There are approximately seven active sets claiming affiliation with nationally recognized gangs.
Gang members frequently target vehicles to steal firearms; consequently, 2025 saw more than twice the number of stolen firearms compared to 2024
Public safety does not stop when an officer responds to a call. Prosecutors and the local legal system are also part of the public safety chain. In 2024, City prosecutors were responsible for more than 1,000 criminal citation cases each, not including traffic citations.
When the legal system is understaffed, cases can take longer to move forward, accountability becomes harder to maintain, and the entire public safety system feels the pressure.
Other Montana communities have recently approved public safety funding initiatives to support fire, emergency response, law enforcement, and community safety needs.
Great Falls is facing similar pressure, and local residents deserve clear information about what public safety funding could mean for our community.
Transparency is the foundation of a safer Great Falls. While the highlights above provide a critical snapshot, the complete reports offer an unfiltered, comprehensive look at the hard data driving our city’s public safety challenges. By exploring these documents, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the specific trends impacting our neighborhoods—from detailed fire response times and staffing metrics to in-depth drug seizure and overdose statistics. We encourage every resident to read these reports to become an informed, engaged, and proactive advocate for our community’s safety.