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Pittsburg County emergency management warns of higher fire risk, reports repeater outage and recent incidents
Summary
Deputy Director Denton Cossey told county commissioners on Jan. 5 that dry conditions could raise wildfire risk and noted a central radio repeater outage over Dec. 28–30; Cossey summarized December events and upcoming emergency-management trainings and exercises.
Deputy Director Denton Cossey of Pittsburg County Emergency Management told the Board of County Commissioners on Jan. 5 that dry weather could lead to increased wildfire activity across the county if rain does not arrive soon. "If we do not get rain soon, they expect to have lots of fires," Cossey said while presenting the agency's monthly report.
Cossey reviewed December operations, citing a hazardous-materials wreck in Kiowa on Dec. 15 and a temporary failure of the central radio repeater from Dec. 28–30 that affected communications. He said staff continue daily operations—credentialing volunteer fire departments, coordinating with state OEM and FEMA partners, maintaining the warehouse and vehicles, monitoring weather and conducting siren tests. Cossey also outlined recent public events the office supported, including a toy drive at the Expo Center.
Upcoming activities noted in the report include an emergency-management conference and training classes scheduled in early January and a pipeline-safety program planned at the Expo. Cossey encouraged coordination with regional partners and emphasized that the county is tracking compliance requirements tied to Disaster 4776 EMPG documentation.
The emergency-management report is part of routine departmental briefings to the commission; commissioners did not take separate action on the report during the meeting. The office provided contact information and encouraged local departments to report outages and resource needs to the EOC.
