It was like any other Fourth of July celebration.
Children were playing with one another in the parking lot while adults sat in groups and chatted beneath a clear sky.
For volunteers with the Green River Fire Department, the yearly gathering is a chance to spend time with family and friends at the fire station, while remaining on-call for the inevitable fireworks-related fire.
The firefighters’ gear was already prepared and on their assigned trucks. For added wild land fire protection, Sweetwater County Fire sent a small truck and crew to assist the GRFD.
With a holiday like the Fourth of July, having firefighters willing and able to go to fire calls can become a challenge. Kennedy said the situation is worse when July 4 falls into a three-day weekend, which results in a number of the volunteers leaving the area to take advantage of the extra day off.
They had already been called out twice throughout the day, both of which involved fireworks. Kennedy said one of the two calls was to a small grassy spot near the river. The fire had ignited in green grass. Kennedy said residents’ perception of fire conditions are skewed because of the rain the area received during previous months.
While the fire department hasn’t had to deal with a large-scale July 4 fire yet, Kennedy believes the question is more a matter of when it will happen, not if. With the drying grasses and a good wind, Kennedy said a fire could easily start and burn the side of a hill before being contained.
“We’ve been very fortunate in Green River, I hope it stays that way,” Kennedy said.
At about 9 p.m., the county firefighters begin hearing about fires around White Mountain in Rock Springs. Winds blowing in the area were spreading the fire quickly, resulting in a multiagency response from the Bureau of Land Management, Fire District No. 1 and the county.
“It looks like we’re going to have an all-nighter,” Seasonal firefighter Peter Ringen said as he and the other county firefighters listened to the radio for instructions.
Ringen is one of the many seasonal firefighters working at the county fire department throughout the summer. Originally from Colorado, Ringen said he applied to work in Sweetwater County to help rebuild the program.
Kennedy said if a major fire broke out within the city, they have agreements with both the county and Fire District No. 1 in Rock Springs to allow them to work within city limits.
“If we get something big, they’ll send help when they can,” Kennedy said,
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