In the midst of Wyoming’s wildfire season, rural areas are not being spared, and nontraditional volunteer crews are stepping up to help. But lost funding from recent property tax cuts is making their job harder.
Earlier this summer, the Fish Creek Fire burned 20 to 30 acres southwest of Laramie. It was one of the largest fires in the area in the past 25 years. Tie Siding’s Volunteer Fire Department, based out of a retirement community, served as the incident command post and helped put it out. The fire highlighted not only the importance of volunteer crews but also the need for easy access in rural areas.
“In rural firefighting in the mountainous areas, we simply don't have roads to get to the fire, and firefighters may have to walk in five, six hundred yards carrying all their gear and equipment, plus hose and food and water for the firefighters,” fire chief for the Tie Siding Volunteer Fire Department John Essley said. “They're already pretty tired by the time they get to the fire and get ready to actually fight the fire.”
According to Essley, response times could be cut in half with the proper equipment. This is particularly important for Tie Siding’s crew.
“We're older than the average firefighters. Our average age of our firefighters is about 60. And having to walk into a fire and carry all your gear is a little more prohibitive to the age of our firefighters,” Essley said.
As first reported by Wolf Creek Radio Broadcasting, the department started a GoFundMe to raise the $40,000 they would need to buy an off-road utility task vehicle (UTV) for the crew, as property tax revenue only covers monthly operating expenses.
All of the funding for the department’s normal expenses comes from property tax revenue. Unexpected or unusual expenses are paid for by public contributions like donations or grants, but Essely said this still doesn't always cover its costs, especially as the country experiences high inflation.
“At this time, the fuel costs have increased by about 50%. So just being able to take a truck on a call to a motor vehicle accident or a fire or a lift assist, the fuel costs have gone up proportionately,” he said.
The crew has already felt the impact of the 25% property tax cuts that went into effect last spring, seeing reductions to their operating revenue. Essley explained that their operating expenses are costly: radio batteries over $200 each, fire resistant clothing over $450 a set, fire boots over $400.
“Truck maintenance and repairs have doubled since Covid,” Essley stated.
Needless to say, the proposed 50% cut on the ballot for later this year has Essley worried.
“A lot of our residents and their properties will fall under that new 50% tax cut. So we will see a large reduction in our revenue on a monthly basis,” he said.
Tie Siding’s volunteer fire crew will likely continue to face hard to access rural fires. Even if they are able to raise the funds for the UTV, there’s no guarantee they’ll be able to get the money needed for future expenses.
