Honored for a half-century of service

Berquist inducted into Wyoming Firefighters Hall of Fame

Michael Alexander

NLJ Reporter

On Aug. 17, the Wyoming State Firemen’s Association held its annual Wyoming Firefighters Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Newcastle resident Ray Bergquist was among the seven Wyoming firefighters honored.

“I knew all of them,” Bergquist said of the other inductees.

Bergquist’s familiarity with the other inductees makes sense, considering the length of his career. He served as a firefighter for the Wyoming State Forestry Division for 33 years, from 1968 to 2000. Then he served as a firefighter for the Weston County Fire Protection District for another 18 years, from 2004 to 2021. Before retiring, Bergquist had dedicated 51 years to this noble profession.

Bergquist also held leadership positions. He was the Weston County fire warden for two years. He also served on the advisory board of the Wyoming State Firefighters Association for 10 years and was vice president of this board for five.

Bergquist came into this line of work with a desire to try something new. Back in 1968, he contacted the state forester about work and was offered a job as a firefighter, which he accepted.

During his career, Bergquist traveled all over the country, helping to combat major fires. He recounts going to about 50 or 60 such fires as a member of incident management teams .

“One year we were in Fairbanks, Alaska, and left there, and before that summer was over, we were in Florida,” he said.

One of the largest fires he helped to fight was the 2004 Boundary Fire in Alaska, which resulted in approximately 250,000 acres burned. He helped with this effort for two weeks, which he said is the standard length of an ICM assignment.

Bergquist’s primary responsibilities were taking care of equipment and offering ground support. This sometimes involved maintaining 20 to 30 vehicles, he said.

Perhaps surprisingly, he said the most dangerous situations he found himself in were fighting local sagebrush fires. Sometimes only two or three firefighters were on the site.

What was most rewarding about his time fighting fires? 

“Meeting people all over the country,” he said, revealing that he has maintained some friendships with individuals he met in the line of duty.

It was surely nice to be honored for his decades of service, but he said that it was having his family present for his induction that mattered most.

“I think there were like 20 or so (family members) who showed up. The four kids, and then their kids (and) some grandkids. I even had great-grandkids there,” he said proudly.

To anyone considering getting into this line of work, he advises dedication.

“I never did turn a dispatch down,” he said, speaking to his own dedication.