Chief Hansen retires from Jackson Hole Fire/EMS

JACKSON, Wyo. (KIFI) – Nearly five years to the day he started his career at Teton County as the Jackson Hole Fire/EMS Chief, Brady Hansen will begin a new chapter in his life and take on the role of a retiree.

Chief Hansen, who is originally from Alta, Wyoming, is retiring on Friday, Sept. 30 after devoting 30 years of his life to the fire service.

“it’s a bittersweet moment for me,” Hansen said. “I have loved coming back to Teton County and ending my fire career where I grew up and formed a passion for public service, fire and rescue.”

Throughout his career, Hansen has climbed the ranks as a firefighter, engineer, captain, training officer, battalion chief, and assistant chief, and earned a background in hazardous materials response, SWAT, arson investigation, bomb mitigation, and technical rescue. He worked for the South Ogden Fire Department and the Logan Fire Department before taking the helm at Jackson Hole Fire/EMS.

Chief Hansen’s experience propelled him as a critical leader in 2020 in the onset of the COVID19 andemic, as the community looked for guidance during the public health event characterized by unprecedented disruptions to daily life around the world. The pandemic also disrupted daily, procedural life for first responders, resulting in Chief Hansen developing and executing new agency protective plans to decrease risk of COVID-19 exposure between first responders and the public.

“We are grateful for Chief Hansen’s service to the community and the leadership he provided us as we navigated the COVID-19 pandemic, which was a challenging time for the entire community,” Battalion Chief Mike Moyer said.

During his tenure with Teton County, Chief Hansen helped secured funding for four wildland fire trucks through a voter-approved $1.6 million SPET measure in 2019, shepherded the downtown Jackson Fire Station 1 rebuild project, established the department’s first Wildland Fire Prevention Specialist, increased the number of full-time staff and volunteers in response to a 60% increase in call volume since his arrival and implemented updated common terminology on fireground communications for coordination and safety standards.

“Chief Hansen has brought a wealth of knowledge and experience, which has helped make the department grow, develop, and thrive over the past five years,” Battalion Chief Moyer said.

Chief Hansen and his wife, Autumn, plan to move back to Logan, Utah, where his children currently reside.

“Those that have had the pleasure of working with him will always remember his warm smile, his wise counsel and his care for people,” Battalion Chief Moyer said.

The new Jackson Hole Fire/EMS Chief will start on Monday, Nov. 7, 2022. In the meantime, Battalion Chief Moyer will act as interim Chief