Campbell County Fire Department preps for wildfire season

GILLETTE — Not too long after the Fourth of July, Campbell County went under stage one fire restrictions.

 Currently, nine counties in Wyoming are under fire restrictions, and five of them — Campbell, Sheridan, Johnson, Crook and Weston counties — are in northeast Wyoming.

Local firefighters are working to prepare for the rest of the fire season, and the department is hoping that some new language will help keep residents prepared.

The Ready, Set, Go evacuation program replaced the fire department’s previous evacuation plans. Breaking up the work into three stages, Ready, Set, Go focuses on actions taken to prevent and prepare for a number of natural disasters, including fires, what to do when an active fire is spotted and what is required during evacuation.

“It is a way to communicate to the public certain actions that they should take to prepare for the possibility of relocating or evacuating,” said Campbell County Fire Marshal Stuart Burnham. “The Ready, Set, Go program helps to make the communication simpler.”

Presented to the Campbell County Board of Commissioners in June and rolled out soon after, Burnham said the Ready, Set, Go initiative originally came about based on observations and feedback from last year’s fire season.

He noted that some people were confused with the county’s old system, which had pre-evacuation notices and evacuation orders. These were issued for the first time during the wildfire season last summer and fall.

“The advantage of using the Ready, Set, Go is not only the timing on when people should leave, but it also outlines certain steps people should take within each step,” Burnham said. “If we’re in the ready phase, I should do these certain tasks. If I’m in the set phase, I should do these certain tasks, and so it not only helps the person know when they should leave, but what they should do to prepare to leave. That is why we chose to adopt that language.”

By the end of the season, the department decided to work on a new system to create more clarity, fleshing out the concept before working with other county agencies to fine tune the details. One big area of focus was getting quick, reliable and accurate information to the public.

“Last year, through the wildfire season, we had to request people to evacuate on a number of times, and last year was the first time, that we know of, that county emergency management within Campbell County issued evacuation orders,” Burnham said. “Through that process, we learned that there were some areas that could be improved upon through messaging and communication.”

The switch also came with other changes by the department. Its Wildfire Action guide provided advice for how to prepare for fire season, how to create defensible space and how to make a home more fire resistant.

The department also added a wildfire mitigation specialist position, currently held by Brandon Elkins. His job is to work with the rural community to help deter wildfires and provide updates on hazards risks.

This will allow the department to get a better sense of how its policies are being received. 

According to Burnham, while the rollout has not been going on for very long, the feedback has been mostly positive.

“Through the first part of the wildfire season, (Elkins) has been able to communicate with some of the property owners that had fires on their property, and they have communicated back that they appreciate that they look forward to being able to add that resource,” Burnham said.

Burnham also noted that warnings and evacuation calls go out over the County’s Everbridge Emergency Warnings and Advisories, a local mass notification program that is free but requires people to register to receive the emergency alerts.

Information about the program and a link to register can be found on the Campbell County website (tinyurl.com/bdfx8jaa).

A copy of the Ready, Set, Go Wildland Fire Action Guide, including a prompt for a personal action plan, is available for free on the department’s website, ccfire.us, and anyone who has more questions can call the department at 307-682-5319.

This story was published on July 14, 2025.