Friends of the Gros Ventre Fire Station
(FGVFS) is a Teton County, Wyoming-based nonprofit organization formed to galvanize our community and spearhead fundraising efforts to accelerate building a fire station north of Jackson.
Why Do we need a Fire/EMS station for the communities north of Jackson?
The closest Fire/EMS Station to our fire zone north of Jackson is Station #1, in downtown Jackson. It is well outside the industry standard response times for our area.
EMS is crucial, with our fire zone north of Jackson receiving 200 calls annually, 80% of which are EMS-related.
The response time from the Town is 15 minutes each way. It may take longer during winter weather or heavy summer traffic, and timing can be critical in life-and-death situations.
With wildfire management, the County should be the first responder and cannot operate effectively north of Jackson without our fire station’s presence.
Assistance is not guaranteed from Grand Teton National Park, Jackson Hole Airport, or Moran.
Residents have avoided calling 911 because they expect there will be no prompt response.
Homeowners’ insurance premiums keep rising; some insurance is unavailable when you’re more than 5 miles from a fire station. Home insurance premiums are 100% higher in Solitude than the same house value in The Pines due to their proximity to Fire Station 6.
A Fire/EMS Station north of Jackson would provide backup to the Town’s Station #1 when they are on another call.
A Fire/EMS Station north of Jackson can serve as backup to the Jackson Hole Airport and Grand Teton National Park, where no EMS service exists.
A nearby Fire/EMS station provides residents with peace of mind.
Friends of the Gros Ventre Fire Directors:
Rocky Barber
Rocky and his wife Nancy have lived north of town in Jackson Hole Golf & Tennis for many years. Family is important to them; they are lucky to host family and friends here in Jackson frequently and share their love of the outdoors. Rocky enjoys taking visitors whitewater rafting and has a passion for our waterways and their management.
Living north of town, Rocky is concerned about neighbors and rural communities of Kelly and Buffalo Valley regarding medical service. You never know when emergency medical care will be needed, and Rocky is passionate about protecting and serving north Jackson, Kelly, Moose and Buffalo Valley with a fire station.
Jim Ramo
Jim and Deb Ramo are active in local nonprofits throughout our community and have called Jackson home for years. Sharing their love of this community, wildlife, and character with friends and family means a great deal to them.
Jim and his wife have lived in regions susceptible to wildfires and see Jackson Hole as having similar risks. Jim believes having a fire station in this growing area of Teton County is imperative for risk management and protecting areas when wildland fires occur. He is involved in FGVFS to help protect our rural communities and cut rescue time in half for medical emergencies.
Joe Wenger
Joe and his wife of 50 years, Ann, live in Jackson Hole Golf & Tennis, calling it home for almost 20 years. Joe is committed to helping the community build a Fire/EMS station north of town to cut response times in half and support the growing population of our rural communities to the north. Response time for medical issues and protecting our natural resources in the case of wildfires is why Joe strongly believes in a fire station north of town. He looks forward to working with neighbors, elected officials and fire department personnel to achieve this goal.
