Several weeks of back-and-forth accusations came to a breaking point when nearly all members of the Vedauwoo Volunteer Fire Department submitted their resignations.
The resignations on Thursday, effective immediately, were confirmed with a statement released Saturday night on the department’s Facebook page with the collective signature “Members of Vedauwoo Volunteer Fire Department.” However, it was unclear how many people had resigned, and could not be clarified as of Tuesday.
The statement conveys that it was a “difficult decision” after the Albany County Fire District 1 (ACFD1) Board “acted without transparency” and “based on unsupported claims” when recently suspending both Vedauwoo Volunteer Fire Department (VVFD) Chief Scott Green and Assistant Chief Ty Sanchez.
The statement also included accusations of the district’s refusal “to investigate serious discrimination and harassment concerns that were brought forward by our members, and not allowing our department to respond to any calls within our own response area and assisting mutual area partners,” it says. “As dedicated volunteers who have always prioritized the safety and well-being of our community, we believe transparency, accountability, and mutual respect are essential to our mission.
“Unfortunately, under the current circumstances, we no longer feel supported or able to serve effectively in our roles.”
The area covered by VVFD responses include the Medicine Bow National Forest, many private properties east of Laramie, and incidents along the Interstate 80 corridor and Wyoming Highway 210 (Happy Jack Road) to the Laramie County line.
The statement from the VVFD members adds, “At this time, the Vedauwoo Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary will remain active in the community, but has plans to change its mission statement to best fit a wider demand.”
Also Saturday night, ACFD1 Central released a Facebook statement of its own stating, “Central was not provided with any details regarding the reasons for Vedauwoo’s Chiefs’ suspension, nor the circumstances that prevented them from addressing their own area. Central received notification that the ACFD1 board was overseeing the situation. Due to this, Central has been administering aid to Vedauwoo’s response area since March 2025. The leadership of Central VFD contacted the ACFD1 board regarding recent developments with VVFD.”
ACFD1 Central also included a response it received from the board stating, “Every resignation was voluntary by those members. The district did not terminate anybody. The board had concerns related to Vedauwoo VFD acting in a safe and prudent manner and their ability to provide an appropriate response. The Vedauwoo department was given very specific actions to take to regain partner and public trust and confidence. The response to those reasonable requests was a number of resignations.”
In addition to naming Dave Bray, who did not resign as VVFD temporary interim chief, the ACFD1 board added that it “continues to work to ensure that all Departments, personnel and responses on behalf of the District maintain and promote the highest level of safety and professionalism.
“The ACFD1 Central Department has been, and will continue to be, responding to all calls within the Vedauwoo Volunteer Fire Department area of response. Central will request support of other ACFD1 Departments as needed.
“VVFD will not be providing any fire suppression or incident response until further notice. … The Board is focused on restoring the trust and confidence of our partners, collaborators and taxpayers that excellent fire protection and suppression leadership, responses and resources will be provided across the District by all Departments.”
The next ACFD1 board meeting is open to the public and scheduled for 5:30 p.m. April 23 at the city of Laramie Fire Station No. 2, located at 1558 N. 23rd St.
An email from Melissa Martin, former VVFD firefighter, department secretary and public information officer, contained the initial statement from the department members. It also states that the public is welcome to write a letter addressed to the board members to P.O. Box 2240, Laramie, WY, 82073.
