TOPEKA — A wildfire task force established by Gov. Laura Kelly responded to the surge of lethal infernos and high probability of more in the future with 30 recommendations for preventing and responding to the menace by removing plant fuel from private and public lands as well as upgrading risk forecasts and volunteer fire departments.
Magnitude of peril from infestations of Eastern red cedar and other woody plants was demonstrated by the 300,000-acre Anderson Creek fire in Comanche and Barber counties in 2016 and the 460,000-acre Starbuck fire in Clark, Meade and Comanche counties in 2017. The danger in residential areas was made apparent in 2022 by the Cottonwood fire in Reno County that burned 6,100 acres, killed one person and destroyed 36 homes, 92 outbuildings and 110 vehicles.
“I created this task force last year because Kansas has been devastated by wildfires far too many times, and it was clear we needed to take a deeper look at how we prevent and respond to these disasters,” the governor said. “I look forward to working together to better support Kansans before, during and after wildfires.”
The report, agriculture.ks.gov/WildfireTaskForce, concluded dry weather trends and presence of enormous fuel loads created conditions for large-scale wildfires in Kansas. The task force emphasized the problem had to be viewed as a shared responsibility among public and private landowners and would require funding from local, state and federal sources.
The document outlined a budget blueprint that featured $500,000 for mitigation on private land, $390,000 for Kansas Forest Service operations and $500,000 to match federal grants for prevention work. The strategy would dedicate $370,000 to a system of weather stations to assess fire risk, $150,000 for equipment and training of people involved in prescribed burn programs and $250,000 to study options for strengthening volunteer fire agencies. In addition, the task force proposed the state create a $10 million wildfire recovery fund.
5,000-plus fires a year
Mike Beam, secretary of the Kansas Department of Agriculture and chairman of the task force, said he welcomed members’ “candid, yet cordial, exchange of concerns.”
He said the threat of wildfire was significant and the consequence for Kansans could be devastating without cooperation to moderate fire risk and strengthen response capabilities. State officials said Kansas documented 5,000 wildfires annually, which placed the state in the top five nationally, despite an estimate 30% of Kansas wildfires weren’t reported.
“It’s obvious to me the entities involved in wildfire prevention, response and recovery have enhanced their collaborations and partnerships in recent years and they are committed to taking further steps to strengthen the state’s wildfire resilience,” he said.
THE TASK FORCE report recognized the responsibility volunteer firefighters in Kansas had in battling wildfires and the difficulty of these departments to recruit personnel, provide training and acquire equipment.
In Kansas, 80% of firefighters were volunteers. Only 6.4% of firefighters in the state were full-career firefighters. The task force proposed the Legislature finance a $250,000 study examining roadblocks to expanding volunteer firefighter services. The review would look at potential incentives to encourage people to become volunteer firefighters as well as standards and training of volunteer firefighting personnel.
The task force encouraged elected officials to seek funding to update volunteer firefighters’ communication equipment and consider joining the state system to link most local and state firefighting agencies.
Dire need for funding
The report said the Legislature should create a special fund to cover requirements of matching grants or other financial assistance available for wildfire mitigation, prevention and recovery.
Consensus of the task force was encroachment of woody plants or trees had become a profound natural resource issue in Kansas. Most of the Kansas landscape was privately owned, which meant the burden of mitigating fire risk fell to individuals who might not have financial resources to implement prevention strategies. The task force suggested state and federal agencies make available funding to spur activities to control woody species on private land.
The task force encouraged state and federal agencies that own or manage public lands to prioritize land management strategies that control invasive trees or plants on public land. The targets should include rights of way along transportation corridors and include interstates, highways and railways, the report said.
State funding ought to be provided the Kansas Forest Service to deliver training and equipment for use by prescribed burn associations, firefighters and others who set controlled fires as a management tool to limit the scope of wildfires, the task force said. In addition, resources should be provided the state Forest Service to create a wildfire fuel reduction program and hire a community wildfire protection plan coordinator.
The task force recommended the Kansas Corporation Commission be responsible for inspecting and regulating safety of secondary electric lines and privately owned power lines. These electric lines, including the power supply to oil and gas fields on rangeland in rural Kansas, have been associated with greater wildfire risk.
The task force supported creation of incentives to improve reporting of wildfires and recommended shortening the time allowed to submit wildfire reports to the state.
The report by the task force noted members discussed the feasability of empowering utility providers to shut off power during dangerous weather conditions, including abnormally dry conditions and high winds, but didn’t issue a recommendation on that controversial idea.
Grassland issues
The task force encouraged the U.S. Department of Agriculture to expand communication with Conservation Reserve Program landowners, tenants, emergency responders and other stakeholders to describe wildfire mitigation practices allowable under conservation reserve regulations.
In addition, the report said USDA should modify restrictions on timing and frequency of haying and grazing of the conservation reserve acres to reduce wildfire fuel load.
Authors of the report said Kansas should rely on an index based on the National Fire Danger Rating System and the Legislature should consider funding operation of an early warning network. Kansas doesn’t have a unified system of fire weather and danger messaging.
The task force proposed the Kansas Division of Emergency Management and the statewide emergency response associations study the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System as a possible statewide tool.
The task force encouraged state and local officials to develop a wildfire recovery resource tool kit for emergency managers, local volunteers and community members on the programs, processes and procedures for managing clean up, donations, supply distribution and rebuilding after a broadly impactful wildfire.
