The Sweetwater County Fire Committee presented its findings on fire service to the Board of County Commissioners this week and recommended closing the Sweetwater County Fire Department and contracting with existing fire agencies to cover fire protection services currently performed by the county fire department.
During the meeting, County Fire Warden Mike Bournazian gave a presentation on the history of the Sweetwater County Fire Department and an overview of the work the department does. Commissioner Roy Lloyd presented on behalf of the fire committee, showing the committee’s findings and recommendations.
The meeting was attended by representatives from the Sweetwater County Fire Department, Sweetwater County Fire District No. 1 and Green River Fire Department, as well as concerned residents.
The commissioners listened to the presentations and public comments before discussing the decision and their own opinions and concerns. Ultimately Lloyd made a motion to postpone the decision until the next meeting, saying he believed they shouldn’t vote until all five commissioners were present, which wasn’t possible this week since Commissioner Lauren Schoenfeld was absent from the meeting. Commissioner Wendling also expressed his desire to have further discussions about other options presented during the meeting before the decision was voted on. Commissioner Mary Thoman voted against postponing the decision, saying “we cannot delay this any longer.” The motion to postpone the vote passed 3-1, meaning the decision will be made March 15.
The fire committee was formed in December, following discussions among commissioners regarding the future of fire service in Sweetwater County. Lloyd and Thoman expressed a desire to reevaluate current fire services in order to determine whether there would be a more efficient and cost-effective way of providing fire service. The committee consisted of Commissioners Lloyd and Thoman as well as Fire Warden Bournazian, Deputy County Attorney John DeLeon, Public Works Director Gene Legerski and Human Resources Director Garry McLean. The committee interviewed fire agencies in the county and organized information on what each agency does, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.
The fire committee ultimately identified three options for moving forward with fire service in the county. Option one was for the county to build a fire department capable of providing all services outside of the incorporated areas and districts. This option would essentially keep the county fire department the same as it has been, adding improvements where necessary. Option two, described by Lloyd as a “hybrid option,” involved county fire handling wildland fires outside of the incorporated areas and districts, with the county then contracting with other agencies for fire protection services to include structure calls, vehicle extrication, hazardous material, rescues, etc. This option would keep the county fire department but limit their services from what they are currently providing.
Option three, the option the committee recommended, is for the county to contract with existing fire agencies to cover fire protection outside of the incorporated areas and districts. Lloyd explained the committee recommends this option because it maximizes the efficiency of staff and equipment, reduces redundancies, uses agencies trained in rescue and emergency medical services, and saves the county money.
According to Lloyd, the county currently pays $708,494 for 95 calls a year, and the city of Green River and Sweetwater County Fire District No. 1 have offered to do it for a combined cost of approximately $400,000 per year.
“This option allows the county to cover all fires in Sweetwater County, with better equipment, better trained staff and at a lower cost,” the committee’s presentation stated.
“I wouldn’t be ok with this recommendation if I didn’t feel that people were going to be safe and covered,” Lloyd added, saying he believes this option will still provide effective fire service for Sweetwater County residents.
“No matter which option, we would not be proposing diminished training or diminished equipment,” Thoman said.
She stressed several times during the discussion, she believes the third option would actually enhance services offered throughout the county.
Commissioner Wendling expressed concerns with the proposed option, mentioning the longer fire seasons and the concern the county might lose control and ultimately lose more money by contracting services.
“What I see are dollars ahead of people,” Wendling said.
Brad McCollum, the fire chief of the Granger Fire Department, expressed a similar thought, starting the public comment period with the statement “any time you put a price tag on public safety, you’re going to have problems.”
Several other people spoke during the public comment period, including both representatives from other fire agencies and citizens of Sweetwater County, including several ranchers who expressed their gratitude for the county fire department’s work and their concern about losing service without the department.
Fire Chief Scott Kitchner from Fire District No. 1 also spoke during the public comment period.
A concern mentioned by Commissioner Wendling was the plan for the district to hire seasonal workers for a four-month period if the district takes over county fire services. Kitchner explained he realizes wildland fires can occur all year long, and the four-month period is simply the busiest time of year with the highest potential for wildland fires.
He remained confident the staff would be ready and able to respond to fires throughout the year beyond that period. He also said if the transition does occur, the county fire personnel are “more the welcome” to join the fire district.
“We’re willing to accept them into the organization,” Kitchner said. “We don’t want to see that knowledge and that training and that education go away.”
During his presentation to the commissioners, Fire Warden Mike Bournazian explained he didn’t realize prior to the meeting the fire committee would be making a recommendation to the board to accept option three, saying he didn’t realize that was part of the assignment of the committee, which he was a member of.
His understood purpose of the committee was to look for more efficiencies and move toward the goal of unifying fire services in the county.
He said doing away with the one department that covers the greatest amount of area in the county would not actually meet the findings of the committee or be in the county’s best interest.
In order to better meet the committee’s findings, Bournazian proposed a fourth option, which would involve having a memorandum of understanding between the Granger and Wamsutter volunteer fire departments to join them with the county fire department, taking three departments and making one. Bournazian explained he couldn’t get buy-in and commitment on the option until last Friday, and he wanted to be reassured before proposing the option. He also said the option didn’t originate with him, but he has always supported it.
Both Lloyd and Thoman expressed frustration over Bournazian not proposing this option sooner or letting them know he was going to bring it up during the meeting, although Bournazian argued he hadn’t been able to put the option together sooner.
“I ask you to not close the county fire department,” Bournazian told the commissioners. “I ask you to actually look at ways that meet the findings of the committee. I believe option four meets every single finding of that committee, and I’m not sure option three would.”
The commissioners expressed their dedication to exploring all the options and having further discussions in the next two weeks before the commissioners meet again and vote on the future of fire service in the county.
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