Laramie County Fire District 2, 8 merger to go out to voters Aug. 17

Jul. 16—CHEYENNE — To streamline administrative processes and improve response times, Laramie County Fire Districts 2 and 8 have hopes of merging under the umbrella of the Laramie County Fire Authority.

But first, they need support from voters in both fire districts.

A special election for this consolidation will take place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 17 at both the Fire District 2 Headquarters at 5800 N. College Drive and the Fire District 8 station at 1050 Road 210. It is only open to those who live within either of the two districts, and you can check to see if that includes you at https://maps.laramiecounty.com/myrep/.

Voters can also request absentee ballots starting Monday by calling the County Clerk's Election office at 307-633-4242 or by emailing [email protected]. Be prepared to provide your name, date of birth and residence address. Absentee ballots for the fire district election must be returned to the Clerk's office by 5 p.m. Aug 17.

In a nutshell, LCFD2 Chief Jason Caughey said, "The consolidation really won't affect the daily operations. The bulk of the consolidation really focuses around the administration level, where we can streamline expenses and get rid of redundancies in both organizations, which will then hopefully allow us to utilize or maximize our revenue that we received from the taxpayers."

The two districts are responsible for a significant area in western and northwestern Laramie County, with Fire District 2 covering Ranchettes all the way up to Farthing and Fire District 8 covering the area surrounding Curt Gowdy State Park.

For voters who want to learn more about the consolidation, each district will host a public meeting prior to the election. Fire District 8's will start at 7 p.m. Aug. 2 at its station, and Fire District 2's will start at the same time Aug. 9 at its headquarters.

"There's a great opportunity for our citizens to have a voice and to share concerns, which is important for us, and we want to create more opportunities to serve our community better and be more fiscally responsible with the money that we do have," Caughey said.

According to both Caughey and LCFD8 Chief Josh Van Vlack, the benefits of the merger are far reaching. The pair have been discussing the possibility for a few years now, as the districts' budgets get tighter and the need for efficiency increases.

Both districts already train together, but getting those services under one organization will ensure new hires can get up to speed quickly, Van Vlack said. Additionally, both organizations already work together in responding to fires or filling in gaps when District 8 volunteers are at work during the day, but merging under the Laramie County Fire Authority removes the need to call for assistance. The dispatch center would instead take care of those matters directly, and the closest firefighters would be able to take those calls.

"Dispatch is outstanding about getting those calls for assistance through, but now it will be seamless," Caughey said.

Van Vlack agreed, saying, "One of the big benefits would be being able to redraw those response lines to where they make sense — where they're not square boundaries that don't consider travel time."

A major theme for the consolidation is getting rid of duplicative efforts. For example, Van Vlack said Fire District 2 has a water rescue boat, and merging would prevent Fire District 8 from having to purchase its own in case anything happens at Curt Gowdy.

While having a bigger staff and more resources will help improve the services provided by both districts, it could also impact some residents' home insurance costs. Fire districts are given ratings that help determine insurance costs related to the risks of fire, and both chiefs believe it is possible that residents will reap those benefits.

The two districts are also leaving the door open for other Laramie County fire districts to join their organization and reap the benefits.

"Looking long-term, down the road, we're trying to build a structure that leaves the door open if other departments wish to join and consolidate and further increase the efficiencies," Van Vlack said.

Margaret Austin is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's local government reporter. She can be reached at [email protected] or 307-633-3152. Follow her on Twitter at @MargaretMAustin.

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