Fire departments create task force to study grassfires

By Robert Medley

Published: February 14, 2008

EL RENO — Dan Cornwell knows how quickly a grass fire can spread.

The El Reno Fire Department lieutenant knows how low and choking the white smoke is in gusting winds.

For surrounding homes, farms, fences and fields, what starts as a small grass fire can be devastating.

Grass fires are a different beast, Cornwell said. They're unpredictable.

"We try to keep the men safe,” Cornwell said. "We want to put out the fire, but we're gonna make sure our men don't get hurt.”

Being caught unprepared is not as likely these days because Cornwell and firefighters from 18 departments in Canadian County have formed a task force to respond to blazes.

The goal is to fight grass fires without leaving any one city exposed or depleted of manpower during an event, said Kent Lagaly, El Reno fire chief and task force leader.

After devastating wildfires in Mustang in December 2005 and five days of firefighting at Cedar Lake in February 2006, Mustang Fire Chief Carl Hickman had the idea to organize a task force comprising area departments.

The 2005 Mustang fire alone charred more than 300 acres and destroyed six homes as 50 mph winds whipped the flames.

Already, the task force has paid dividends. The team this month fought a large grass fire near Apache, another one requiring multiple agencies in Bridge Creek, and a number of smaller fires along Interstate 40, Lagaly said.

Lagaly, who has 23 years' experience with firefighting, said every grass fire is different and strategies are hard to plan in advance.

He does know county fire departments need to be especially vigilant now. Grass fire season is busiest between November and April, he said, and conditions are even more favorable for grass fires after last years' heavy rains led to steady vegetation growth.

Regardless, Lagaly said he thinks Canadian County is better prepared today for a major fire than it was two years ago. Task force crews can be dispatched with a telephone call from any fire commander on a grass fire statewide.

The Canadian County task force consists of 15 firefighters, two brush pumper trucks — each carrying 325 gallons of water — and a 2,000-gallon tanker truck. The force size can be increased to respond to larger grass fires.

El Reno rookie firefighters Trent Bryan, 23, and Nathan Plagg, 24, have trained for fighting grass fires and have already responded to several around El Reno.

"It's more on-the-job training than anything,” Plagg said. "We're taught the basics, but you really don't get a feel for it until you're out in it.”

He demonstrated how he uses a hose to spray in the front of advancing flames and work his way back in a "mop-up” attack.

Lagaly was quick to point out that despite the fact more than a dozen departments in Canadian County contribute manpower — like Bryan and Plagg — the goal of the task force is to leave plenty of resources to cover cities.

"You can't leave your town unprotected,” Lagaly said. "Our primary responsibility is to protect our community. We're better prepared now, by all means.”

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