Area departments work together to fight wildfires

Wildfires in rural areas can be a challenge. Volunteer fire departments don’t always have the resources needed to fight the flames. So they rely on teamwork.

The group is called “Force.”

It’s made up of 19 counties. they work together to battle these large wildfires.

It’s all about resources, and when conditions are this severe, these departments need all the help they can get.

“The next five weeks is wide open,” said Chief Merlyn Johnson, of Harvey County Fire District One. “Anytime we get wind like we’ve gotten, as dry as it is, it’s wide open.”

It is wildfire season, and area departments are ready. If a fire breaks out, it’s all hands on deck.

That was the case on Friday, when flames started spreading in Harvey County.

“It rapidly escalated,” said Johnson. “There were eight structures burnt. They did not lose a house. They saved the house.”

Johnson says his team of volunteers was one of many helping fight that fire.

This type of partnership is common for the rural departments, especially when conditions, like the ones we have now, make even the smallest fire a potential threat.

“We don’t try to deplete our sources totally, but you can’t not go,” said Johnson. “You’ve got to go help.”

This isn’t limited to just the rural departments.

The Wichita Fire Department also helps out where they can, including in the massive fires in Hutchinson last year.

“For the last several weeks we’ve done- one of the trainings we’ve done, getting ready for this season, we’ve actually had wildfire training session, partially taught by the Kansas Forestry Service,” said Fire Marshal Stuart Bevis of the Wichita Fire Department.

Bevis says you can play a role in preventing fires in these conditions.

Even something as simple as discarding a cigarette can lead to a wildfire.

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