The problem was Sublette County Unified Fire (SCUF) had not developed an explicitly defined organizational statement. The purpose of the applied research project was to develop an explicitly defined organizational statement for SCUF. Action research was selected as the most appropriate research method. Three research questions were studied and answered. The first question asked what are the relevant standards regarding the development of a fire department organizational statement. The second question asked what elements should be included in an organizational statement. The third question asked what organizational structure models other organizations use. To answer these questions, an extensive literature review was completed, a Technical Specialist from the National Fire Protection Association was interviewed, an informal questionnaire was developed and distributed to the members of the Wyoming Fire Chiefs Association and the Wyoming Rural Firefighters Association, a focus group analysis was conducted with officers from SCUF, and a Lieutenant Colonel with the Wyoming Army National Guard was interviewed. First, the results from the study indicate the NFPA 1720, NFPA 1201, and the NFPA 1500 standards, as well as the OSHA Standard on Fire Brigades, §29 CFR 1910.156 all contain relevant information to developing organizational statements. Second, an organizational statement should include the following: a clearly defined the purpose and mission for the organization, the legal parameters formally establishing the organization, a description of emergency services provided to the community, the geographic and political boundaries, the duties, responsibilities, and training requirements for all members, and a wire diagram illustrating the relationships between divisions and functional units. Third, there are numerous organizational structure models available for adoption, however the linear hierarchy for paramilitary organizations seems to be most appropriate for local adoption. In the future, it is recommended to formally adopt the organizational statement and evaluate the effectiveness after six-months of use.