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New Deputy Fire Chief Wil Gay (R) has his new badge pinned by his wife Heidi Gay (L). Photo courtesy Sublette County Unified Fire.

On November 14, 2019, Sublette County Unified Fire (SCUF) formally appointed Wil Gay as the new full-time Deputy Chief of the organization. The Deputy Fire Chief is the second in command of the fire department. The job comes with significant responsibility, including leading the organization in the absence of the Fire Chief. The position supervises and coordinates the activities of all six of the Fire Battalions, ensures proper training, manages firefighters, and provides consistency in the department policies and procedures.

Fire Chief Shad Cooper explained, "Wil has worked in the fire service for over 30 years. The last 23 years he has been a volunteer in Sublette County. Wil has been the county-wide training officer for the last five years and has also served as a Battalion Chief." Cooper further explained, "Deputy Chief Gay has already displayed exceptional leadership as a Battalion Chief and Training Officer for many years.

Wil explained he has always wanted to be involved in the fire service since an early age. He started his fire service career as a Fire Explorer, which is a program of the Boy Scouts of America. The Fire Explorer program allows high school students to become volunteer firefighters and learn vocational education skills. After he completed the Fire Explorer program, Deputy Chief Gay was hooked on providing public service and he spent the rest of his life helping others in Fire and EMS.