Rich County fire warden warns of aging equipment, proposes county engine and radios; commissioners approve two radios

Travis Hobbs, Rich County fire warden, told the Rich County Commission that the county responded to 13 wildfire incidents last year and sought the commission’s backing for equipment and mitigation work, including buying a county engine and new radios.

Hobbs said the Dry Fork fire alone burned 1,341 acres — “924 of which was on BLM, 417 of private land” — and that “the cost on that fire is sitting at $1,093,064.” He also cited a separate solar-farm fire of 22.87 acres. The warden described aging vehicles across local volunteer districts and said some departments have had multiple breakdowns during responses.

Hobbs said recruitment and training are priorities. “I am happy to say we got 19, new, red card certified firefighters since June of last year,” he said, listing volunteers from Woodruff, Randolph, Laketown and Garden City. He told commissioners he plans more training and hopes to develop local engine-boss candidates so the county retains incident leadership capacity as older volunteers retire.

On mitigation, Hobbs described ongoing and planned fuel-break work, including projects in Swan Creek/Little Switzerland and fuel breaks above Garden City and Sweetwater. He noted maintenance funding is scarce: “We get a lot of times funding, but there’s no funding for maintenance,” and said the Forest Service may be asked to tie into county work.

Hobbs raised a policy and insurance concern tied to recent state legislation he identified as “House Bill 48.” He said the bill, as he understood it, would require an assessment-based tax on homes in wildland areas tied to a property’s wildfire readiness, and that the county would likely have to identify who falls in those zones. He warned that insurers already are dropping coverage in some subdivisions and said the bill’s details remain unclear.

As a financing option, Hobbs proposed the county purchase a brush truck or engine that could both improve local response and, when deployed to out-of-area assignments, generate revenue. He said the county could recover purchase costs through assignments and cited an example where a 14-day assignment brought $36,584. On the topic of wildland fire suppression funding he described the county’s CWS commitment and said a new engine could offset a large portion of the county’s first-year obligation under that program.

Hobbs also asked the commission to fund two programmable radios compatible with federal wildland channels and an in-truck mobile unit to enable interagency communications. He provided state-contract pricing and said the handheld units cost about $2,200 each and the mobile unit about $3,200; the total package he discussed was roughly $5,200. After discussion, commissioners moved, seconded and voted to authorize Hobbs to buy the two radios; the motion carried.

Hobbs described other near-term needs and logistics for vehicle procurement, including vehicle chassis availability, outfitting work from local vendors, and a desired timeline — mid-July — to have any county engine in place before peak fire season. He also requested about $5,000 in radios for additional units and noted the county’s existing FEPP (Federal Excess Personal Property) engine is aging and has required significant repairs.

The commission did not authorize purchase of an engine at the meeting; Hobbs asked the commissioners to “look at this truck situation” and indicated he would return with exact specifications and budgeting details.

The presentation included operational and personnel details — who would operate new equipment, how volunteer districts might host and use a county engine, and options for sending engines on out-of-area assignments to build experience and possibly net revenue for the county’s fire account.

Hobbs closed by confirming assistant warden Jaden Larson will remain in that role and by thanking commissioners and staff for support.

The commission later handled other agenda items; the radio authorization appears as a formal motion in the minutes.