These are boundaries of Structural Fire Departments (SFD) in Montana. The boundaries are mapped to the best available property, land and survey information provided by state agencies, local government personnel, and SFD Fire Chiefs. The GIS research and analysis provided by DJ&A, P.C. of Missoula and Helena was conducted in 2011 for the Fire and Aviation Management Bureau of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC).

The boundaries were mapped from county resolution descriptions or as described and documented by local government sources. Some may not necessarily represent the exact legal boundaries created by petitions and annexations. The data layer was designed for internal use by Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC), and is maintained on a continuous but intermittent basis. DNRC does not guarantee the accuracy of the data, nor that it is up-to-date. These data are not intended for use at scales greater than 1:24,000. These data are not for accurate determination of section corners, or property line locations.

The current list of local Fire Chiefs, obtained from state training and certification records, was used for populating the database with names and contact details. Electronic and hardcopy data received from the counties, including legal descriptions and best available details were assumed to be the authoritative data for local government fire district boundaries. No independent verification of data was made against courthouse records; yet, discrepancies found between mapped and reference documents were noted for DNRC review.

Fire department boundaries were digitized for each county. Reference and supporting data received from each county were accepted as-is. The data were visually inspected for gaps and overlaps. All polygon topology was built in ArcEditor to insure topological consistency. In areas requiring manual digitizing, overshoots and underhangs were prevented by snapping to, or tracing the best available land survey (GCDB) and ITSD-approved statewide reference data layer features (roads, hydrography, cadastral).

The list of local district contacts, including Fire Department Chiefs may periodically change. Individuals providing district boundary information for mapping and reference files submitted the best available documents. Department boundaries often change through local petitions and resolutions.