The firefighters' longest night

It was a scene not unlike any other Independence Day celebration.

Grilled meats and soft drinks available to all. Children playing while the adults enjoyed a chance to chat. However, the purpose behind the gathering is what set it apart from every other Fourth of July festivity in Green River. They were firefighters and their families waiting for the inevitable call.

The gathering is a tradition for the Green River Fire Department. As residents celebrate congressional approval of the Declaration of Independence with fireworks, some of the less careful revelers end up starting grass and brush fires. The GRFD, deciding having its volunteer firefighters at the station was necessary to quickly respond to the fires before they became uncontrollable, started hosting a get together for firefighters and their families as they waited for the fire calls to come in.

Green River Fire Chief Mike Nomis said the group started with just members of the GRFD, but has grown to include firefighters from the Sweetwater County Fire Department, Bureau of Land Management and the Wyoming State Forestry Service.

Nomis said representatives of the fire departments throughout Sweetwater County met Wednesday morning to plan how they handle the busy night. The GRFD's fire station would serve as the command post for efforts in and around Green River, while Sweetwater County Fire District No. 1's College Hill station in Rock Springs would service the city and its surrounding area.

"We're just waiting for something to happen," Nomis said.

The fire departments learned a few lessons from the previous Independence Day fires, Nomis said. The numerous calls taxed their resources, something Nomis hoped wouldn't happen again.

While last year's fire calls were difficult, the worst happened during the early 2000s according to Assistant Fire Chief Larry Erdmann. He recalls an evening where firefighters responded to 24 fire calls between 7 p.m., and midnight. The calls were so frequent he said fire crews would pass each other on the road, one responding to a fire while another was headed back to the station. That evening, the hill near the south water tank had caught fire, as well as a portion of Mansface. All of the fires were caused by fireworks.

"That was a crazy night," Erdmann said. "We had fires everywhere."

Firefighters' turnout gear could be seen placed neatly next to the variety of fire trucks surrounding the fire station. Erdmann said the firefighters can get dressed in their gear in under a minute and be ready to roll out within two.

While speaking with other firefighters in front of the station, a few vehicles parked on a hill south of Green River catch his eye.

"That's the start of it," Erdmann said, point to the distant vehicles. "People sitting on the hill with their fireworks."

After a few moments, loud pops echo throughout Green River and colored sparks could be seen shooting skyward from behind the Wolves Stadium bleachers.

"It won't be long now," Erdmann said.

He wasn't wrong.

According to Sweetwater County Fire Warden Mike Bournazian, firefighters responded to their first call in Green River at 9:30 p.m., with four others quickly coming in within the following 10 minutes. The night wouldn't stop with those fires, as Bournazian said firefighters worked into the early morning hours. At around 11 p.m., he said firefighters from the GRFD, BLM, and state forestry service responded to a blaze on the hill above the Interstate 80 tunnels, estimated to have burnt between five and 10 acres. While dealing with that one, a second major fire started in the Big Fire Hole area on County Road 75, south of Rock Springs.

"This fire was in extremely steep and rugged country with heavy sagebrush," Bournazian said in a series of text message to reporters Thursday morning.

Firefighters from the Rock Springs Fire Department, BLM, Fire District No. 1 and the county fire department responded to the blaze. Bournazian said the firefighters worked to past sunrise to contain the fire, with the BLM crew on scene to monitor the fire until fresh crews can finish mopping it up. In total, Bournazian said there were 14 wild-land fires firefighters responded to during the Independence Day evening, with all but one of them caused by fireworks.

"The Sweetwater County Department exhausted all of our resources and equipment tonight battling these fires," he said. "It doesn't take more than a couple of fires burning at the same time to fully complete our resources and rely on mutual aid, which was used extensively throughout the night from all the departments in the county."

Bournazian said the county fire department wouldn't be staffed Thursday, with only an on-call crew available. He said the break allows for county firefighters to rest and prepare for a higher fire danger expected Saturday.