OSU assists area firefighters

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

 

OSU assists area firefighters  

OSU Fire Safety Training has been providing support to local fire departments in the form of large water tankers to ensure plentiful water to fight the wildland fires in Payne and Logan Counties. The surplus semi-trailer tankers, as well as a mechanic’s truck and a hazardous materials support trailer were loaned out for use by firefighters.

“This is a support service we are proud to be able to provide to our area fire departments,” said Ed Kirtley, director of OSU FST. “There is no cost to the departments, and thanks to the amount of water we can provide, our presence makes a significant difference.”

Kirtley said the eight tankers, from the OSU Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, can carry up to 7,000 gallons of water each for transfer to smaller tanker trucks and brush units used for firefighting. An estimated 28,000 gallons was supplied with the large tankers during the fires in Glencoe last Saturday.

Bob Heinemann, senior superintendent for the university’s Kiamichi Forestry Research station and the Mac Lindley Research Farm, secured the U.S. Army surplus tankers. In addition to firefighting, they’ve been used to help provide water to cattle during drought conditions at the farm in Valiant and the OSU Range Experiment Station in Stillwater, which include more than 6,000 acres of land and over 800 head of livestock.

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