June 29, 2023 |
Photo – Carbon County Fire District Logo – Bigfoot99 file photo
The Carbon County Fire District is moving closer to completion.
In last November’s election, Carbon County residents voted to establish a county-wide fire protection district. The fire district will provide coverage for all unincorporated parts of Carbon County. Fire Warden John Rutherford is spearheading the project with the support of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners. Fire Warden Rutherford said the fire protection district is still writing the legally required documents needed to form a brand-new organization.
The next step for the fire protection district is to create an agreement with all the municipalities of Carbon County. The contracts would allow the fire district to use the towns’ equipment to fight fires outside of their borders. Rutherford said official negotiations can’t begin until all the legal paperwork has been completed. The fire warden said initial talks indicate that towns are willing to collaborate.
While the courthouse and Carbon Building were being renovated, the county’s legal proceedings were moved into the Interim Justice Center. With the remodel completed, the building, located at 812 East Murray Street in Rawlins, has sat empty. County officials have discussed moving different entities into the vacant structure, including the Office of Emergency Management and using part of the building to store evidence from the Sheriff’s Office. Fire Warden Rutherford said his organization is in talks with the county to take over the former Interim Justice Center. However, Rutherford said the deal is far from finalized.
Forming a new governmental entity from scratch has been a long and drawn-out process. Rutherford said the fire protection district’s board of directors has received a lot of assistance from the county commissioners. The fire warden said everyone has been working hard to get the project off the ground.
The formation of the fire protection district has been slow going. Back in March, Rutherford told Bigfoot99 that he was hopeful the organization would start responding to calls by July of this year. Now, the fire warden said operations are tentatively expected to begin by next year.
The Carbon County Fire Protection District is making slow, but steady progress toward its end goal of covering the rural areas of our county.
