The membership of the Fort Laramie Volunteer Fire Department provides firefighting and emergency medical services for both the Fort Laramie Rural Fire Protection District and the Town of Fort Laramie Fire Department. The department is an all-volunteer fire and rescue department that provides service to approximately 600 year round residents in a 370 square mile primary response area. Fort Laramie is the oldest permanent settlement in the State of Wyoming. It was established at the confluence of the Laramie and North Platte Rivers in 1834 as a private fur trading post. The United Stated Army purchased the fort in 1849 when it officially became a military post. The Oregon, California and Mormon Trails all passed through the fort and it served a major base of operations during the height of the Northern Plains Indian Wars. The fort was abandoned in 1890 when homesteaders acquired the site. At present, we have 18 members, seven of which are also certified as basic emergency medical technicians. Our response area is located in a predominately remote, rural setting. The fire department has cooperative and mutual aid agreements with nine other area fire departments, resulting in a mutual aid response area encompassing 2000 square miles and servicing a population of approximately 14,000 people. Additionally, we provide fire protection for Fort Laramie National Historic Site where a number of original historic structures that are an irreplaceable part of our nation's heritage are preserved.