(Riverton, WY) – The Lander Pipe Band led off a day of ceremony at the Wyoming State Fire Academy in Riverton on Saturday, where two men were inducted into the state firefighter hall of fame in the morning, and the names of Wyoming’s fallen firefighters were read aloud in the afternoon.
Chaplain Ben Nardi of Jackson EMS opened the induction ceremony by describing what the two inductees, Rob Acres and Kim Lee, had in common. Both, he said, dedicated their talents to making Wyoming a safer place, and it was an honor to gather and enshrine them into the hall of fame.
State Fire Marshal Byron Matthews spoke about the leaders who came before, the hours they put in, and the work they did without much notice. He also pointed ahead to the 25th anniversary of September 11.
Rob Acres receives his hall of fame induction Saturday from Fire Marshal Matthews. h/t Wyoming Fire Marshal’s Office Lee speaks at the hall of fame induction. h/t Wyoming Fire Marshal’s Office Nathan Butler reads at the induction of Rob Acres at the Wyoming Firefighters Hall of Fame Ceremony Saturday. h/t Wyoming Fire Marshal’s Office The Lander Pipe Band marches through the ceremony Saturday afternoon in Riverton. h/t Wyoming Fire Marshal’s Office
Nathan Butler read the biography for Acres, his boss of 20 years, who spent more than 41 years with Wyoming State Forestry. Acres grew up around fire. His father served on the Lusk volunteer department and his grandfather served with Niobrara County fire. He got his start on state forest land south of Elk Mountain, supervising inmates working on fire projects in the area, and went on to expand the rehabilitation efforts of Wyoming’s inmates, including at the Honor Farm. The Wyoming Smokebusters program that came out of that work has supported wildland firefighting in the state ever since. His sons, Miles and Ryan, both served as wildland firefighters.
State Forester Kelly Norris said the Smokebusters program has become an important resource for the state and called it a blessing to have. She described it as a true legacy of the work Acres has given Wyoming.
Acres, visibly emotional, kept his remarks short.
“All I can say is wow,” he said.
The second inductee, Kim Lee, was introduced by his son, Matt Lee. Lee served 20 years with the Riverton Volunteer Fire Department and retired in 1995, then served two terms as a fire commissioner. His father, Larry, was a firefighter as well.
Lee also spent much of his career in law enforcement as a deputy with the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, and traveled to Africa with the Wyoming National Guard to train on emergency response. He received a citation of valor for running into a burning building to try to save a woman who later died of her injuries, along with other awards over the course of his service. He ended his public safety career in 2016.
Since then, he has run rodeo security at Cheyenne Frontier Days, served as a special incident commander during COVID, and sat on the Riverton Regional Airport board. He is a Master Mason and a Shriner and belongs to the Elks and the Lions Club. He and his wife, Rita, live in Riverton.
The mood shifted in the afternoon for the annual Wyoming Fallen Firefighter Memorial service, which brings members of the state’s fire service together with families, friends and elected officials at the memorial on the academy grounds. The service honors every Wyoming firefighter who has died in the line of duty going back to 1922. State senators Eric Barlow, Bill Landen and Tim Salazar were all in attendance for the ceremony.
A firefighter saluted the American flag during the National Anthem Saturday. h/t Wyoming Fire Marshal’s Office State Senator Bill Landen speaks on the importance and bravery of firefighters in Wyoming. h/t Wyoming Fire Marshall’s Office Ladder trucks hold up an American Flag near the state Fire Academy during the ceremonies Saturday in Riverton. h/t Wyoming Fire Marshall’s Office The Wyoming State Fire Marshall’s bell sits ready to ring for the rememberance cermony. h/t Wyoming Fire Marshall’s Office
This year the service also paid tribute to Don Bodine, the longtime Evanston Fire and EMS chief who died December 8, 2025, at age 69 after a battle with occupational Merkel cell carcinoma. Bodine served Evanston and Uinta County for more than 40 years. His name was added to the memorial on Saturday.
State Sen. Bill Landen, now in his 20th year in the Wyoming Senate, told those gathered how valuable it is for firefighters to tell their stories, and that Wyoming legislators need to hear them more often.
Remarks were given for Bodine, and then the fire bell was rung as the Lander Pipe Band played and the names of Wyoming’s fallen firefighters were read aloud, as they are every year.