Meet Chris Miller of the Helena Fire Department

As a captain on B shift with the Helena Fire Department, Helena’s Chris Miller has been in the fire service for more than 18 years, including the last 14 in the city of Helena.

“I am responsible for; day-to-day operations, scheduling, administrative duties, maintaining operational readiness for our 24-hour rotation, mitigating incidents/risk and a myriad of other tasks,” Miller said. “Additionally, I serve as the department’s training officer, which schedules and teaches classes both within and outside of HFD.”

The job duties he faces now weren’t necessarily part of his plan, but it has taken him down a path that he has fallen in love with.

“For most of my career, being a company officer (supervisor) was not a goal I set for myself,” he said. “Ironically this has become what I enjoy most about my job. It enables me to create a culture that supports the mission and vision of success. I want to motivate our members by giving our them a common goal to focus on and combine that with individual expectations.  Each member then sees how their job, knowledge, skills and abilities contribute to the big picture.”

Miller said that is how he plans to leave his mark on the department, while he is grateful for a strong staff, most of whom have 15 years of service left.

“Ultimately, I hope that I empower other firefighters with purpose and desire to leave their own mark so that I play a role in helping develop the future leaders of the Helena Fire Department,” he said.

Miller got his start with HFD as a part time firefighter/paramedic in 2007 when the department was half the size it is currently.

Watching the growth of the department and city is something he said he has enjoyed the most in his time in Helena.

“Seeing it grow and turn into a thriving, sought-after community with endless possibilities in what seems like overnight is what makes this city great to work for,” he said. “Having a city administration that wants the best not only for its employees but also its population is hard to come by. I am extremely grateful for the opportunities it has given me and look forward to seeing this city mature into what it is going to become.”