Political Quotes

“Mr. President, today I have the distinct honor of recognizing Mike DeVries of Fergus County as Montanan of the Month for his dedication to serving his community and his courage during the Denton fire this past December. Mike joined the volunteer fire department shortly after moving to Denton with his family back in 2004 and has been loyal to the department and community ever since, serving as chief for 11 years. On December 1, 2021, Mike's love of his community and resolute leadership was on full display. As the West Wind fire tore through the town of Denton, Mike acted swiftly to maintain incident command and ensure the safety of his firefighters and members of the Denton community. As Montana suffered a terrible fire season in 2021, Mike not only coordinated aid and resources, he showed care and compassion to his fellow residents of Denton and the surrounding area. He met with folks who were impacted by the fires and connected personally with all the local firefighters and community members who showed up to help. Serving as the Denton fire chief is just one of the ways Mike gives back to his community. He is also on the elder board of the Denton Bible Church and has served several terms on the town council. As a volunteer fire chief, he has spent countless hours training, traveling, and managing the department. His son Joel says that Mike is held in high regard by other firefighters as he works to build relationships between Denton and surrounding departments.…”