What this office does: Provides fire protection within district boundaries (rural areas). The board of directors sets district policy, approves the budget, levies the mill tax (up to 3 mills under Wyoming statute), oversees equipment purchases, and hires or oversees the fire chief. Volunteers do the actual firefighting, but the board makes the financial and strategic decisions that determine whether those volunteers have the gear, training, and stations they need. Members serve 4-year terms.
Why it matters: In a county as large and rural as ours, a fire protection district board’s decisions about resource allocation — which stations get equipment, how mutual aid agreements are structured, what the budget prioritizes — can be the difference between a fire being contained or spreading.