Drought Forces Okla. Firefighters to Prepare For Worse

Despite recent rainfall, Southwest Oklahoma emergency planners and fire departments are preparing for the worst as warmer weather approaches.

Recent years have seen large wildfires consume land and homes, as well as fire department resources. Despite recent rains, not enough has fallen to prompt emergency personnel to stand down from the highest state of alert. With drying-up water resources, responders are forced to plan how to conserve the most valuable weapon against fire in their arsenal.

Fresh from helping direct the third annual Destry Horton Wildland Firefighting School Feb. 15-17 on Fort Sill, Lawton Fire Training Officer Jared Williams said the drought is going to hit the departments in multiple ways. The first punch comes from dry vegetation, which makes good fuel for fire.

"This year we again appear to be into a very challenging wildfire season," Williams said. "If the current trend continues we will again see tinder box conditions."

Firefighting is a water-intensive battle, Williams said, and the prospect of its scarceness could limit efforts to keep fires under control. That's troubling because the departments' primary goal is safety, he said and lack of water could cause an incident commander to hesitate before committing to a course of attack.

"We utilize water as our primary suppressant for fires, and if we are running low on water we may have to change some of our tactics," Williams said. "It does affect the way we are able to provide for the safety of everyone on our scenes."

A long-term effect means taking a closer look at exposure protection and not actually fighting the fire, Williams said. That is called structural triage, he said.

"Basically, when we show up we may have to let the fire burn, but just keep it from burning any other houses," Williams said. "It would be extremely difficult to look at a homeowner and just say ‘I am sorry, there is nothing we can do.'"

Those are words no responder wishes to share, and concerted efforts are undertaken to avoid that outcome.

Task force coordinates

Comanche County Emergency Management Director Clint Wagstaff said Comanche County's 19 fire departments have been monitoring water and have worked to coordinate their efforts and with the surrounding counties. As well as forming its own task force, he said, agreements with surrounding counties' task forces have bolstered confidence should a major fire occur. He said there's at least 30,000-40,000 gallons of water stored in the tankers awaiting the call. Tax funds and grants have allowed the departments the ability to upgrade equipment and obtain the tankers and supply trucks that are needed.

"Right now, Flower Mound, Meers and Geronimo each have 6,000-gallon tankers ready to roll," Wagstaff said. "We've got a good group of firefighters around here."

Williams concurred and said a fire at Republic Paperboard last April was a case of successful mutual cooperation. He said the area departments were an integral part of the water shuttle process that consumed almost 2 million gallons of water during the fight's first night.

"Our partners in Comanche County are a great asset to us and the entire county," Williams said. "If we continue to have water issues, that type of cooperation will be the only thing that will bring us through."

Cache Fire Chief Dale Winham said his department has been taking advantage of a relatively mild winter to prepare equipment for a battle that isn't an "if" but a "when."

"We know we're in a drought condition and it's not going to get any better," Winham said. "We're gearing up for it."

Enhanced mutual aid agreements have allowed Comanche County departments to coordinate and help each other supply for a battle. Much of the preparation is more than tending to equipment, Winham said, and communications systems have been improved.

Joint training

"We constantly prepare for the worst," Winham said. "It's all about joint training, and with this many departments in the county we all work tremendously well."

"We're just now developing a mass attack instead of delaying activation," he said. "There's a lot of preparation that we do, and when the call goes out we're able to go into an automatic response system."

Flower Mound Fire Chief Josh Sullivan said his department serves approximately 500 business and residential structures within its 42-square-mile coverage area, from Lee Boulevard to Baseline Road and Railroad to Trail roads, and it's always among the first to respond when a tanker is needed.

"All of our fleet, when we roll to a fire, we're rolling out with about 14,000 gallons of water," Sullivan said. "One of the advantages we do have we bring a lot of water with us."

Copters tap any water source

When there is a big fire that depletes tanker resources, Wagstaff said, firefighters have had to draft from any and all available sources - swimming pools, ponds and lakes. During massive fires that moved through Medicine Park and Meers in recent years, helicopters have had to dip into any available resource they can.

"Wherever a helicopter decides where water's at, that's where they get it," Wagstaff said. "Most of our farmers and ranchers have been accommodating."

Wagstaff warned that, if recent years are an indicator of a trend, "then we're going to be in trouble."

"Not just us, everybody's going to be in trouble," Wagstaff said. "Last thing we want to do is take all the water from a farmer or rancher's pond and take all the water out of their ponds from their animals."

Winham said locating other sources and then securing approval for use of the water can slow things down.

"At a point where everyone's low on water, they may be restrictive," Winham said. "What we're really hoping for are good April showers and some relief to the water table."

A spark and a disaster

In Duncan the recent fire that reduced the Foursquare Church to ash and a series of suspicious fires have tested the fire department's abilities at damage control. Assistant Fire Chief Kevin Hammack said that's the best that can be done under some circumstances. A single spark can be as deadly as an atomic bomb if conditions continue.

"In drought conditions, the fuel load Is greater, and the longer the drought, the more volatile the fuel is; whether it is grass or a structure, the fuel takes less to make it burn," Hammack said. "A simple spark from a train, car, or power line can cause extreme damage in no time. We are unable to cool the fuel or prevent the spread without sufficient water supply."

In Cotton County, Walters Assistant Fire Chief Scooter Bivins said his department is in good shape to cover most situations. The Walters department has four full-time firefighters, as well as 17 volunteers and a fleet that has about 7,200 gallons at the ready at any time. In case of something bigger, he said, Temple's department is nearby and a strong partner in any battle.

"I know we're covered," Bivins said. "When you have a fire and you go in and open a hose on it, the water expands thousands of times ... and turns into steam when it hits the flame."

"It doesn't take a whole lot of water to shut it down when you get it going," he said. "Most generally, a house we're going to save isn't going to take over 2,000 gallons max; anything over that and the house is ruined anyway."

But the best defense is still a dose of wet weather, Bivins said. The noted noodler understands the need more than most.

"As far as catching any water, we're going to have a gully washer before we make a gain on our reservoirs," Bivins said.

You can prepare for situations and have the equipment at the ready, but without Mother Nature's assistance, one big fire could tax resources to the limits at the start of the fire season and lead to grave concerns.

Caddo County Emergency Management Director Larry McDuffy said the 21 departments in his county have been meeting and preparing. He said that the county's water table is already low.

"We're all trying to group together and help each other," Mc-Duffy said. "We've been taking stock of water resources: lakes, ponds and other areas we can draft out of, and, for now, we're looking good. We found new water sources we didn't know about."

Landowners realizing that they could be in need at one time or another has made them more proactive with responders, McDuffy said.

"If their house was on fire, they'd want to get water wherever they could," he said.

Fragile budgets

Departments have been able to replenish their operating budgets because of a mild winter but, Mc-Duffy said, the first big fire could burn a hole in those budgets because of high fuel costs.

McDuffy said the departments are coordinating their communications through the new, centralized communications center.

"That's going to be a big help to us this year," he said. "It's already helped us on some fires."

One source of water that all departments need is of the bottled variety for the weary firefighters. McDuffy said departments are stockpiling and donations by the people they serve help with the effort.

Altus Emergency Management Director Lloyd Colston said he's looking for an active spring storm season after keeping up with the National Weather Service's advisories. Pros are met with cons in that situation because tornadoes and lightning storms are often a part of the mix.

"About four months ago, storms moved through on a highfire day and reminded our firefighters that lightning can cause fire in a rainstorm," Colston said. "With thunderstorms, the wind can get real high and shift on a dime and change the course of a fire just like that."

Colston said the City of Altus has been working with the county task force to promote an awareness of high fire-danger days. With wildfires, he said, planning on contingencies is of the highest priority.

"In a wildfire event, if you're planning on a pond being full of water and it works out, it's good to go," Colston said, "but if your water's dry and you have to go three hours to a lake to get water and three hours to get back how much firefighting are you able to do?"

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