Fire Protection District Applies for State Grant to Procure Fire Training Equipment

APRIL 22, 2025|

Photo – An example of a mobile fire training center – Courtesy Fire Blast Global

The Carbon County Fire Protection District is seeking authorization from each municipality to apply for a Mineral Royalties Grant to purchase a mobile firefighting training center.

During the April 15th Board of Carbon County Commissioners meeting, Board Chairman Travis Moore presented a resolution to allow the Fire Protection District to apply for a $155,500 Mineral Royalties Grant from the Office of State Lands and Investments. Chairman Moore explained the grant money will be used to buy a mobile firefighter training center.

The Mineral Royalty Grant program is funded through payments made to the state for the extraction of natural resources, such as oil, gas, and minerals, on state owned land.

The Office of State Lands and Investments requires the Carbon County Fire Protection District to obtain authorization from the county and all municipalities within its coverage area before applying to the Mineral Royalty Grant, or MRG program.

The Board of Carbon County Commissioners voted to approve the Fire Protection District’s MRG application.

The matter was also discussed during the April 14th Medicine Bow Town Council meeting. Mayor Justin George explained the training trailer will benefit the town’s volunteer firefighters.

The Medicine Bow Town Council also voted to approve the Fire Protection District’s MRG application.

The Saratoga Town Council discussed the matter during the April 15th meeting. Mayor Chuck Davis explained the Fire Protection Chief, John Rutherford, said the trailer will make it easier to certify Carbon County firefighters.

The Saratoga Town Council voted to sign the Fire Protection District’s MRG resolution.

In his application to the Office of State Lands and Investments’ Mineral Royalty Grant program, Fire Protection District Chief Rutherford wrote the new air quality regulations from the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality have made it more difficult to find buildings suitable for conducting live firefighter training. Carbon County firefighters are required to travel to Rawlins for certification, which places a significant burden on many of the volunteers.

Mobile training trailers use propane to simulate realistic firefighting scenarios, eliminating the need to burn an actual structure. The trainers are designed to meet the DEQ’s air quality requirements, with minimal smoke and emissions.

With the mobile fire training center, Carbon County firefighters can receive their National Fire Protection Association Standard certification without having to travel to another town.