A Prescient Agreement Request

On Wednesday, October 16, a fire broke out at the gun range outside Saratoga igniting the tires used as a backstop at the far side of the range and the surrounding sagebrush.

Firefighters from Saratoga immediately responded to put out the flames and tamp down the black smoke which could be seen all over town.

Units from Ryan Park, Encampment, Sinclair, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the United States Forest Service joined in the containment that occurred an hour after the discovery of the fire, according to the Saratoga Volunteer Fire Department Treasurer Creed James.

The battle to fight the flames came one day after a Saratoga Town Council meeting where Saratoga Fire Chief Pat Waliser approached the council requesting the town sign a mutual aid agreement with the Carbon County Fire Protection District (CCFPD).

The cause of the fire outbreak was unknown but required a response.

According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) website, “Mutual aid agreements establish the terms under which one party provides resources — personnel, teams, facilities, equipment and supplies — to another party. They can support all mission areas; they can be established before, during or after incidents; and they can be between all levels of government, nongovernmental organizations and the private sector.”

The agreement would allow for entities within Carbon County to respond to and have response from personnel and resources that enter in the agreement in the event of a fire or related emergencies.

“This agreement would be beneficial to all towns within Carbon County,” said Waliser. “Most of the communities (Hanna, Encampment, Baggs and Elk Mountain) have signed the agreement so far.”

If Saratoga forces were asked to be dispatched to assist in emergencies/fires, the Saratoga Volunteer Fire Department (SVFD) could respond or not respond as resources allow.

The use of resources, including equipment, would be reimbursable by providing invoices to the CCFPD within 45 days. The SVFD would then receive funds back into the fire department fund maintained by the Town of Saratoga.

“The ability to rely on mutual aid allows fire departments to respond to incidents more effectively and efficiently, and ultimately helps to keep the community safer,” according to FEMA.

The recent fire at the gun range and the many “all hands on deck” approach seemed to prove the point that a mutual agreement of communities within Carbon County for fire protection was beneficial and necessary.

The next Saratoga Town Council meeting will be on November 5 at 6 pm in Town Hall.