Rural Fire Volunteers Bearing Heavy Burden On Wildfires

The wildfire burning in Woodward County is now wrapped in a perimeter and is not expected to grow outside of that area, according to Woodward County Incident Managers.  

The blaze which started Monday has now burned over 19,000 acres, according to Oklahoma State Forestry Department. 

Incident managers say no structures were lost. 

Much of the initial attack on Oklahoma’s wildfires in the western part of the state comes from volunteers.  

Harmon volunteer firefighter Bert Cutsinger says he left his Harmon station around 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, and did not get home that night until 4 a.m.  

“We’ve all been there. we’ve put in days and days of watching these fires and try to make sure they don’t take off on us,” Cutsinger said.  

But for people like Cutsinger, it’s just what you do for your neighbors. He is a pastor and a county employee at home.  

‘We want to get out here and help people. That’s our main priority,” he said.  

Because, in rural Oklahoma, they might need help someday too.  

“They come and help us in our time of need, we want to help them in their time of need,” he said.   

Crews do this all season long – they work for free.  

Sometimes the need for air support is immediate, but the process to request support can take days.  

Local incident managers must make a request to State Forestry officials for state help.  

This might come after volunteers have been fighting the fire for a while.  

Then, state foresters head to the fire and make a plan to knock it down. They have to justify requests for air support.  

If that plan includes air support, state forestry works with the state office of emergency management to ask the Governor to dispatch National support. 

Until it arrives, more help from volunteers like Darwin Loomis, who has been flying over the burn area and getting acreage estimates this week.  

While crews are fighting fires, he will call in and direct them where to go.  

Loomis farms nearby. 

Mooreland Fire Chief Travis Case says he expects to be stuck with a $20 thousand to $30 thousand dollar fuel tab by the end of this incident. 

If you want to support volunteers, you can mail a check to the department.