SVI PHOTO/DAN DOCKSTADER
Lincoln County Commissioner Mel Shumway addressed the Interagency Wildfire Pact, explaining that the pact provides vital financial backing and resource sharing when fires erupt.
The agreement renewed the county’s participation in the state Emergency Fire Suppression Account through a partnership between the Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments Forestry Division and Lincoln County. The county’s annual assessment, calculated from private land acreage and local assessed property values, is approximately $20,000 to $21,000 for 2026.
“It’s basically like a fire insurance policy that the counties enter into with the state in case fires expand past local control or grow to federal and state lands,” Shumway said.
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Under the agreement, local fire districts and U.S. Forest Service personnel can quickly mobilize state and regional assets if a blaze escalates. Shumway cited the county’s response to the Willow Creek Fire as an example of the program’s utility.
“If things blow up, this helps pull in all the big guns,” Shumway said. “We witnessed that a couple of years ago with the Willow Creek Fire, how they brought in so many assets so quickly, we were able to get on top of that and to maintain and keep that going.”
While the policy secures backup for major incidents, Shumway emphasized that Lincoln County’s first responders handle the overwhelming majority of wildfires on their own. Following discussions with Lincoln County Fire Marshal Kelly Hoffman, Shumway noted that local crews successfully extinguish blazes on initial response 95 percent of the time before flames expand.
“That’s a great stat, and it’s just kudos to our local fire agencies, and we can just see the value of a well-funded and well-trained and dedicated local fire response team,” Shumway said.
Shumway concluded that maintaining the partnership ensures the county remains prepared for worst-case scenarios.
“It runs annually every year, and it’s just a good tool to have to help protect our backsides,” Shumway said.