27 February 2024
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Fire crews around the state are preparing for potential wildfires due to the red flag warnings.
In Augusta, firefighters are ready to respond. The fire major says a common cause is dragging chains off of trailers and not burning responsibly.
“A lot of our problems is people doing controlled burns and we ask if you do a controlled burn, call your nearest fire department first. And we prefer you not if the winds are over 15 miles per hour,” Augusta Department of Public Safety fire division Major Ray Marbut said.
The Augusta Department of Public Safety worked on 42 wildfires in 2023.
Over in Hutchinson, firefighters there are no strangers to wildfires. Some of the largest in recent history have been in Reno County. This means they know how to prepare.
Firefighters start their morning meeting with the Kansas Forest Service and Public Works on a game plan in case something big ignites. Leaders say they prepare for wildfires by trying to prevent them.
Earlier this month, they ignited fires to try to cut down on the amount of thick, dry grass.
“We pick a few areas that we feel are concerns, and we’ll do burns along the ditch. That basically gives us another 30 to 60 foot of defensible space because a lot of our fires happen off the roadway,” Hutchinson Fire Department Division Chief of Operations Jeremy Unruh said.
Unruh says Hutchinson firefighters battled 29 large wildfires in 2023.
The Kansas Forest Service has also been prepping for wildfires this week. They’ve been moving trucks, preparing planes and talking to surrounding states about conditions. The Kansas Forest Service says it’s a matter of getting everyone on the same page.
“Obviously, a lot of planning. We’ve been communicating with our other state partners, the state fire marshal’s office, the division of emergency management since kind of towards the end of last week when we started hearing that these fire weather conditions may be coming this week; Rodney Redinger with the Kansas Forest Service said.”
The Forest Service has three planes available and another three on standby. Redinger says do not fly drones over fires because then the planes cannot fly safely.