The Personal Costs Of Fighting A Fire

By Gordon HopkinsThe personal costs to volunteer firefighters are not just time, sacrifices and the physical danger they place themselves in when combating a blaze like the recent Rock Creek wildfire. Sometimes that cost comes in the form of actual money. Ken Krause, Fairbury Rural Fire Chief, gave an update on the Rock Creek Station fire to the Jefferson County Commissioners at a meeting on Tuesday, April 19, 2023. Krause pointed out, “I don’t know that most people are aware of the fact that most fire departments in Nebraska are volunteer, and all fire departments in Jefferson County are volunteer. And so when a call comes in, it’s going to interrupt everyone’s day. It doesn’t matter if they’re at work or at home. But work time is lost.”Called ‘one of the largest wildfires in years’ by Emergency Management, the wildfire burned an estimated 1,800 acres but, thanks to the efforts of firefighters, no homes were destroyed and the park’s historical buildings were saved, though the fire came within feet of the structures. Crews dowsed them in fire-resistant foam prior to the fire reaching the historical park grounds.Numerous local fire departments as well as multiple state agencies were involved in the effort to combat the blaze and McKee indicated the numbers of personnel that participated were not yet available. The cause of the blaze was reported to be a prescribed burn that got out of control. The resulting fire took several days to contain.Krause said, “So if patrons aren’t careful with their burning, and following burn plans and doing what we’ve approved for them to do, then we got to make a response. Now those people are leaving work. And when people leave work that typically costs employers.”Commissioner Mark Schoenrock said, “We do have a number of volunteers that are not going to be paid because of last week, not to be paid by their employers. And so we as a board, we would appeal to those employers to consider paying your employees, even though they weren’t on the job last week. They were out doing the greater good to protect our citizens in this fire, and so we would encourage those employers to please compensate your volunteer firemen, even though they weren’t there working for you. They were out working for the citizens of Jefferson County. And we would greatly appreciate you considering that.”Krause added, “They’re protecting all the business’s assets in the community. So, I mean, if your business can afford to do so it’s only reasonable.” Dangers Of Fighting FiresAlthough every effort was made to minimize the risk to personnel battling the blaze, going into a wildfire is always going to be a dangerous proposition. High winds were a major threat, particularly when the winds changed direction, which happened multiple times. Krause talked about how firefighters had to adapt their strategy when winds changed direction, such as protecting the historical structures.“I was on the line where the buildings were and we probably tested ourselves there,” said Krause. “The wind changed on us and probably our risk was worth the reward. But we held it and no one got hurt.”A back-burn is controlled fire intended to eliminate the fuel in the path of a wildfire. Two months before, local firefighters from Fairbury Rural Fire, Plymouth Fire and Rescue, Diller Fire & Rescue, Wymore Fire Department, Clatonia Fire Department, Nebraska Game and Parks and Sutton Volunteer Fire Department all participated in Basic Wildland Firefighter training, which included field exercises at Rock Creek Station. A Community Comes TogetherIn addition to firefighters, commissioners also praised those members of the community that supported the effort with donations and other assistance.“I know quite a few farmers that helped disc fields,” said Schoenrock. “And then all the contributions that came in from our local businesses.”Krause noted a number donations were dropped off at the fire station anonymously.Krause also pointed out that no food was purchased by NEMA (Nebraska Emergency Management Agency). All food was donated. In fact, there was enough food and water that some could be shared with other counties battling their own wildfires.

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