Between the hours of 9:45 pm and midnight on the 4th of July, the volunteers of Lander Rural Fire were called upon to extinguish 11 grass fires, all of which were started by fireworks. Many of these fires threatened structures, vehicles, and propane tanks, though none of these exposures were damaged in any way thanks to the swift and decisive actions of their battalion’s well-trained members.
The largest of these fires amounted to 15 acres, keeping crews busy until 2:30 am on July 5th. Thankfully, no firefighters or civilians were injured in relation to these incidents. As always, Lander Rural Fire would like to thank their mutual aid partners (particularly Fremont County Fire Protection District’s Fort Washakie Fire and Hudson Fire, BIA’s Forestry & Fire Management–Wind River Agency, and the Lander Volunteer Fire Department) for their assistance in extinguishing these fires safely and efficiently.
The members of Lander Rural Fire would also like to thank their 28-year veteran, Rick Filman, for his 23 years of dedicated service in bringing our community its most celebrated fireworks display each Independence Day. Without his knowledge, hard work, and commitment to excellence, Lander would be without its most coveted fireworks display–the one it has most come to anticipate and appreciate each and every year. Thank you, Rick, and thank you to each individual and organization who contributed to this year’s fireworks celebration!
Lander Rural Fire would also like to remind folks that much of Fremont County is under a Red Flag Warning through Wednesday evening due to dry and windy conditions. Please do your part to prevent wildfire by being vigilant at all times. Be safe out there!
“Lander Rural Fire (Battalion 3) is one of thirteen volunteer fire battalions proudly serving the people of Fremont County as dedicated members of the Fremont County Fire Protection District. For more information, please visit fremontcountyfiredistrict.com, and follow us on Facebook at Fremont County Fire Protection District and Lander Rural Fire FCFPD!”
As a reminder, fireworks are now banned until further notice on the Wind River Reservation. You can read more about this update in our earlier post, click here.