Fire District for protection of Carbon County

Carbon County Fire Chief, John Rutherford, and County Commissioner, Travis Moore, have been making themselves available all over Carbon County to answer questions about the possibility of a fire protection district for the unincorporated area of the county. 

"Our presentation or roadshow has consisted mainly of just giving people information," Moores said. "We tell them this is what we have got, these are the options that were explored, this is the model of the district that was chosen, and we are giving information about those pieces that came out of meetings with the chiefs and the municipalities. We are spreading the word, this is going to be on the ballot, and the people that are going to be on this board, are going to be on this ballot." 

Only Carbon County residents who live in the unincorporated areas can vote for this district.

Having the board on the ballot in addition to the fire district means Moore and Rutherford are also trying to get the board for this district ready to go. "Interested candidates for the positions on the fire district board can apply in a fairly easy manner," Moore said.

There are five board positions.

"For the individuals who live in unincorporated Carbon County, the filing window opens the 10th of August and goes until almost the end of August business days," Moores said. "They can file with the County Clerk in Rawlins or they can print the application off online from the town website, free of charge."

Rutherford is hopeful the fire district will be passed. He remembers in 2014, there was an effort to establish one but it was voted down.

"It didn't lose by a big margin," Rutherford said. "But we understood fromthen, what we had to address."

Rutherford said since 2014, fire calls have increased at least 250 percent.  "Most of that is highway calls," he said. "Highway fires, highway rescue crashes, unknown personal injuries. That is 50 percent of our calls now. Actually fires are not a huge part of what the Carbon County Fire Department does." 

Rutherford feels there is another problem. The last time they tried to get a fire district, there were questions about the board being formed and who would serve.

"It is an additional tax, but that was never really the question, the question was 'we have seen boards that were not popular, and would this have this problem', Rutherford said "Industry didn't really oppose it back then, but some of the fire department service didn't support it, so it is going to falter."

Rutherford thinks there is more support this time around because the cost of delivering service has increased along with the technological advances.

"There is good technology out there that can help, but the department has to be able to afford it first," Rutherford said. "Because everything is increasing, we have to ask, how are we going to be able to keep the level of service up to where it is now. I don't think it is a question, with expenses rising, when and what services are going to have to be cut. That is a hard question for the commissioners to answer. What needed services are you going to cut?"

Rutherford points out, Carbon County is not required to provide fire services for the county. "A lot of people don't realize that," he said. "A lot of people take it for granted that the county has to provide this service. They aren't required. State statute says they may provide services, but not required."

Rutherford is convinced a fire district is a way to keep the services going at the current level, for the county, if not improve them.

Moore said the operational budget for the Carbon County Fire Department is around $330,000. The district will generate around $1.2 million. He points out that the county is paying for the insurance, the liability, and all the pieces of the fire service.

"The fire district would take over those pieces and then the board would work with a liaison to see what other components are needed such as a mechanic or a training officer," Moore said. "If we say it is a go after November, we are looking at 18 and 24 months before it is going to be fully operational."

Moore said equipment has to be replaced and to do so, is a large capital outlay. "We have some equipment which dates back to when we were in Vietnam." he said. "That should not be the case. To outfit a single firefighter, it costs $12,000. That is with no training, no radio, just the outfit."

"The cost of an air pack is $7,200," Rutherford said. "The cost of services has just gone up so much. We bought a new fire truck for Carbon County in 2014 that cost under $100,000. A brush truck. That same truck now is $175,000."

Moore points out, since so many of the current calls are medical, another type of service is evolving. He said the reason there are less calls for structural change are the strong building codes which have been introduced in recent years.

"We just don't have as many structural fires," Moore said. "But more people travel, logistics of shipping everywhere is making the interstate and highways more crowded with chances of increased accidents. If there is a giant wildfire, there is a pot of money at the state and federal level we can tap into to help us pay it. There is little or no money for that emergency service by the fire department on the highway."

There have been more pile ups in recent years and Rutherford said the fire department can make a difference as much as EMTs on the scene, saving lives as they get people out of their vehicles.

"Some things we can't make a difference, but we should target where we can," Rutherford said. "Having good equipment is one of those things we can target."

Moore said much of the traffic on the interstates was not anticipated when first being created. Railroads were the way goods get shipped. Trucking traffic has increased and so have accidents that need the fire department.

"I have posed the question to WYDOT and the State; why don't they contribute to rescues on the highways and why doesn't the federal government contribute?" Moore said. "And the answer has been, 'I don't know'." 

Moore and Rutherford said the focus of having the fire district protection district is to make sure the personal protective equipment is up to date and available for the fire fighters. The training will be covered as will communication equipment, fire apparatus and rescue tools. All essential for the Carbon County Fire Department to get the job done.

"We have a long road ahead of us to keep up with fire safety services, but this is one way to balance some of it out," Rutherford said. "Our flier explains the regulations and requirements for these critical areas continue to increase in rigor and cost. So much so that grants, impact funding, and operation funding from Carbon County, are falling well short of targeted expectations."

Both Moore and Rutherford agree.

The time for a Carbon County Fire Protection District has come. It is now up to the uncorporporated residents of Carbon County to agree when the vote is put on the ballot.