Med Bow Fire Dept. packs it up: Medicine Bow Fire Department loses county support, equipment

Carbon County Fire Department officials hauled equipment out of Medicine Bow Saturday in response to a tightening county budget.

“This is not very good,” said Jim Colman, Medicine Bow Fire Department treasurer who was present when officials were moving out equipment. “We’re adding 40 minutes to an hour in response time, and that’s not good.”

The officials wheeled out four fire-response vehicles, breathing apparatuses and other equipment owned by the Carbon County Fire Department. County officials also stripped Medicine Bow firefighters of their workers compensation and ability to respond to emergencies outside town limits, making Hanna the first responders in any county incident near Medicine Bow.

“It’s the hardest decisions I ever had to make in my fire career,” said Carbon County Fire Warden John Rutherford.

Rutherford and other county officals made the decision due to large budget cuts Carbon County saw this year, but the decision to cut Medicine Bow was also about safety, said Carbon County Commissioner Sue Jones.

“Not only is it financial, John Rutherford is trying to reorganize the county fire department,” Jones said.

However, the decision may affect response times to fires near Medicine Bow, said Medicine Bow Councilwoman Kenda Colman.

“I’m very upset by this,” said Kenda Colman, who was also watching officials haul away equipment. “I have heard from county commissioners that they didn’t think it would go this way. I have heard from House of Representative Paxton that this is not right. I have heard from the governor’s office that this is not right.”

Kenda Colman said their ability to respond to out-of-town fires is important to the county because of the town’s geographic location.

“If someone calls in on the (sheriff’s office) and says ‘the Heward Ranch is on fire’ and then hung up, how would the people know where to go?” They don’t know where the Heward Ranch is,” Kenda Colman said. “They don’t know, but we do.”

In an average year, the Medicine Bow Fire Department will only receive about two calls for the town, but will receive about 15 to 20 calls for the county.

Now that Hanna would be first-responders means response times could increase significantly, she said. If additional help is needed, that support will most likely come from Elk Mountain, and then Rawlins, Kenda Colman said.

Rutherford agreed Medicine Bow is in a good geographic location to quickly respond to county calls, but is trying to think of the county as a whole as he reorganizes the county fire department.

“It’s just money,” Rutherford said. “I had no other option but to do this.”

Rutherford said other town fire departments that cooperate with the Carbon County Fire Department will also experience cuts.

Those towns that use county equipment, but have their own municipal fire departments, are Medicine Bow, Sinclair, Encampment and Saratoga.

Carbon County was faced with cutting $8 million out of the budget, County Commissioner Sue Jones said.

“We do care about Medicine Bow, but we have to make these hard decisions,” Jones said.

Medicine Bow can still enter the annual operating plan, an agreement through which Medicine Bow could offer help to other fire departments, or receive help. Those part of the plan agree to offer the first eight hours of service for free, and then later charge for that service.