Fires

From Sustaining Jackson Hole Wiki

After years of steady increase, the number of incidents to which local firefighters responded fell sharply in 2005. The Jackson-Teton County Fire Department has seen a gradual decrease in structure fires during the last dozen years, which fire officials attribute in large part to the use of newer, cleaner burning woodstoves, a county rebate program for old woodstoves, and fire education. However, the agency is responding to more calls regarding hazardous chemical or electrical situations, and is dealing with more false alarms and rescues. In addition, due to cooperative agreements with federal agencies, the local fire department – which has a paid administrative staff and volunteer firefighters – also responds to many wildland fires on public and private land.

The fire department also expanded its role by doing more inspection and fire prevention work, which in turn requires more paid staff. The full-time, paid staff has increased from three in 1992 to eight in 2004. The department’s budget, which currently comes largely from county property taxes and grants – in about equal proportions – increased from $816,434 in 1992 to $1.65 million in 2005. During that same 12-year period, the volunteer firefighting staff has fluctuated up and down between about 85 and 100 members.

he most significant change to the local fire department in recent years - if not in its history - occurred in July 2004, when Teton County consolidated its Fire and Emergency Medical Services departments into Teton County Fire/EMS.

Source: Jackson-Teton County Fire Department