By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Dry conditions have already turned southwest Kansas and most of Barton County into a tinderbox. High winds recently have only added to the potential fire problem. Last week, Governor Laura Kelly declared a disaster emergency for wildland fires. Barton County Emergency Risk Manager Amy Miller said the declaration is unique to wildland fires.
"If you wish to obtain a Fire Management Assistance Declaration, you have to request it when the fire is actually out of control and burning," she said. "You have a lot of different planning functions that go on in those, too."
Other disaster declarations, such as those made after a tornado, come after the event. The open declaration for wildland fires makes getting assistance easier while the event is still ongoing. Many departments already have mutual aid agreements with other departments, but those callouts are typically not reimbursed.
"With a Fire Management Assistance Grant, it enables the jurisdiction to then receive help from maybe a much larger response area than it normally has," Miller said. "If those responders come in, and all the other grant requirements are met, sometimes they can get reimbursed for certain expenses in the response."
Southcentral and southwest Kansas counties are included in a Red Flag Warning through 10 p.m. Tuesday evening. A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions, including strong winds, low humidity, and warm temperatures, are either occurring now or will shortly. Those conditions can contribute to extreme fire behavior. Highs in the 80s with wind gusts up to 49 mph are forecast for Tuesday.