Audit: Next wildfire could catch Kansas flat-footed

By

National News

June 20, 2018 - 11:00 PM

FILE PHOTO / RENO COUNTY FIRE DISTRICT NO. 6

A legislative audit released Tuesday concluded that while wildfires in Kansas are becoming more frequent, a lack of resources and coordination are hampering the state’s ability to fight them.

Firefighting duties and resources are spread across three separate agencies, which auditors said is complicating wildfire response and communication between state and local officials.

The Kansas Fire Marshal’s Office is the lead agency for wildfire response, but it has no firefighting resources. Those resources are held by the state Forest Service, which doesn’t have enough funding to deploy the equipment. The Division of Emergency Management also serves a supporting role.

Related
January 1, 2022
August 8, 2018
June 27, 2018
April 16, 2018