Gros Ventre

Fire Station #1 in downtown Jackson currently provides coverage for the area north of Jackson, with backup from the Moran Fire Station and, secondarily, the Grand Teton National Park Rangers. 

For most of Kelly, northern Spring Gulch Road and Highway 89 offshoots, this leads to fire or EMT response times of a minimum of 15-20 minutes (and another 15-20 minutes back to the hospital for EMT emergencies). This is the best-case scenario as this neighborhood and road are closest to Jackson. For folks that live in Kelly, Moose or Buffalo Valley, these response times are much greater.

Insurance companies are increasingly reluctant to provide coverage for homes over four to ten miles or more from a fire station. In some cases, insurers have declined to underwrite entirely. When written, premiums have skyrocketed over just the last few years. Some have even been canceled, leaving residents without coverage. This outcome devastates our rural areas, where folks have lived for generations.

As you can see in the top map, Station 8 represents a large gap in our community in terms of coverage for medical, fire and wildfire response time.

The residents of Teton County voted in 2022 to provide SPET funds to build/rebuild fire stations in downtown Wilson and Hoback. In addition, Teton County has recently purchased a parcel of land in Alta to construct a fire station to provide coverage in that area. Any fire station north of Jackson would likely be behind all these, possibly late 2030s or longer.

We have created a nonprofit, the Friends of the Gros Ventre Fire Station (FGVFS), to accelerate the construction of a fire station in the north Jackson area to ensure that the residents north of town will be served in a timely manner and responses to wildfires and other emergencies can happen as soon as they are noticed.

New Gros Ventre Fire Station

The County owns a one-acre parcel on Spring Gulch Road, just north of the Jackson Golf & Tennis Club, designated for a fire station. FGVFS believes the best approach is to raise private sector funds to allow the County to move the health and safety of residents north of Jackson onto the front burner.

Initial estimates suggest that building the fire station would cost $7-$8M million. FGVFS would complete a contract or Memorandum of Understanding with the County before funds are spent on this project.

Building the fire station

The Gros Ventre Fire Station will likely include the following features:

  • Two garage bays with room for four vehicles, including a fire engine

  • A wildland fire engine

  • A rescue vehicle/ambulance

  • A water transport vehicle

  • Space for office cubicles, a conference room for training and meetings, and a dining room/staff lounge

  • The second floor will include space for sleeping accommodation for staff on duty

Ensuring the safety of our neighbors, rural communities, and natural resources is critical to the goals of our valley. We are the stewards of this ecosystem and each other. FGVFS believes a fire station north of town is essential to serving and protecting.

The 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.

Friends of the Gros Ventre Fire Station is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, Tax ID # 92-3820674