Ringwood, OK, Fire Chief Raises Concerns Over 9-1-1 Call About Fire Going Unanswered

The Major County Sheriff's Office said the 9-1-1 dispatcher was handling another call related to the fire, while the landowner told the fire chief that no one answered his call.

Jan. 11, 2026

2 min read

The Ringwood fire chief took to Facebook to share a message about Major County's 9-1-1 service after a caller claimed their call about a fire went unanswered.

While he was at the scene, a landowner approached Ringwood Fire chief Brandon Harmon, who said he called 9-1-1 and it rang and rang, so he hung up.

“And in talking to the landowner, he questions me at that time and says, How do I get a hold of the fire department now?” Harmon told KFOR.com of the on-scene exchange. “And I looked at him, and I said, 'What do you mean?'”

The man said he called 9-1-1 and nobody at the Major County Sheriff's Office answered their call.

“It rang, and it rang, and it rang, and no one picked up,” Harmon learned while talking to the caller. “We just can’t have that. I mean, it’s 2026, the technology’s there.”

The caller hung up before the operator was able to pick up, or the call was rolled to another dispatcher operator to answer, Major County Sheriff Anthony Robinson told the television station.

“People deserve to know that the funds that they’re paying are operating a reliable 911 system,” Harmon said, after the fire department posted about the 9-1-1 system on Facebook.

Harmon added, "People have got to realize that 911 is like the first link in the emergency response. So if that link breaks even once, we’re putting lives and property at risk.”