Wyoming Releases 2024 Wildfire Costs as Volunteer Fire Departments Rebuild

The financial impact of Wyoming’s historic 2024 wildfire season is becoming clearer as expense reports for several major fires—including the House Draw, Constitution, Flat Rock, Remington, and Silver Spoon fires—have been released, Gillette News Record reports.

While firefighting costs soared, some volunteer fire departments are now seeing increased recruitment and financial support for recovery efforts.

According to a Southwest Area Incident Management Team 5 report, the House Draw Fire was the most expensive wildfire of the season, costing nearly $6 million to battle. The breakdown of expenses included:

• $1.6 million for aircraft assistance
• $1.5 million for camp support, which covered personnel and logistical needs

The Remington Fire followed as the second most expensive, totaling $5.3 million in suppression costs. It required more equipment than any other fire on the list, accounting for $2.3 million in expenses.

Many volunteer fire departments, including the Tongue River Volunteer Fire Department, played a crucial role in containing fires such as the Elk Fire and Badger Creek Fire. However, financial reports for some fires—like the Elk Fire—are not expected until 2026, according to Bighorn National Forest officials.

Volunteer departments often face financial strain due to prolonged incidents. Tongue River Fire Chief Jeff Barron noted that while departments receive standard compensation for equipment and personnel during large fires, operating costs still take a toll.

“When the incident goes longer than what we would normally respond to, there’s standard rates that are paid for both equipment and then, in some cases, personnel,” Barron said.

To manage costs, departments submit pay requests based on firefighters’ training and roles, which are processed through the county for reimbursement.

Wyoming maintains an Emergency Fire Response Account to help cover fire-related expenses, but the demand in 2024 quickly depleted resources. Sheridan County Fire Warden Chris Thomas explained that local officials must request funding from the state forester when a fire surpasses local response capabilities.

“They have a pool of money, and this year we burned through that pool of money,” Thomas said. “They also have a little backup, and we ran through that backup money.”

The two-year $30 million emergency funding plan was completely exhausted, but the Wyoming Legislature recently replenished these accounts.

Governor Mark Gordon signed two bills aimed at fire relief and recovery:

• Senate File 195 – Establishes a bridge loan program for small businesses impacted by natural disasters, including wildfires.
• Senate File 152 – Provides $20 million for the state’s Emergency Fire Suppression Account, ensuring funds are available for future firefighting efforts.

Despite the destruction, there has been a positive outcome—an increase in volunteer firefighter recruitment.

“If there is a silver lining, one of the benefits of that summer is there was more interest in firefighting,” Thomas said. “Almost every district or department has new recruits that they’re training.”

The Tongue River Volunteer Fire Department has added five new volunteers, according to Barron.

“We’re sitting really well. As a result of the fire, we’ve actually gotten more volunteers,” he said.

Along with new personnel, the Tongue River department secured a $750,000 grant from the Mineral Royalty Grant Program to purchase a new structure truck. The $1 million truck will be partially funded by the fire district, which has saved $250,000 for the purchase.

If everything stays on schedule, the new truck is expected to arrive by June or July.