Randy Krehbiel – Tulsa World, Okla.

For decades, Oklahoma’s first responders have complained about their inability to communicate with each other in emergencies.

The independent nature of the state’s 1,000 fire departments and the lack of overall command and coordination were cited as factors after historic wildland fires in March left devastation in Mannford, Stillwater and other areas.

Unsurprisingly, then, communications and coordination both figure prominently in a preliminary report released late last week by the working group appointed by Gov. Kevin Stitt to review the response to that outbreak.

Among the group’s recommendations following its first meeting: an Oklahoma Division of Forestry liaison to coordinate with the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management; improved integration among emergency response agencies; and increased coordination among state and local authorities, including statewide radio interoperability.

Radio interoperability has long been a much-sought goal of the state’s thousands of emergency response agencies. As things now stand, those agencies’ radio systems communicate with one another barely if at all.

A liaison would provide a formal link between Emergency Management, which coordinates most emergency preparedness and response activities, and the state’s primary wildland firefighting agency, which is under the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry.

Last week’s report is a single page consisting of an introduction, a three-paragraph summary, a list of the organizations participating and more than a dozen bullet points.

“The Task Force held an initial meeting on April 17, 2025, and identified priority areas. These include state and local coordination, mitigation, first responder recruitment, retention and training,” reads the summary.

“This was the first time attendees are aware of that all the entities represented have gathered to discuss emergency response and more specifically wildland fire response.

“Working Groups will be established to work on each of these topic areas and develop a report and recommendations for the Task Force,” the summary concludes.

Stitt appointed the working group following an unprecedented wildland fire outbreak from Feb. 28-March 30, during which 170,000 acres and 300 homes burned — including one of Stitt’s.

Stitt directed the ouster of Mark Goeller, Oklahoma Forestry Services chief, and threatened to disband the agency. Both the ouster and the threat ignited fires of their own among the state’s firefighters.

Stitt said Goeller should have repositioned more of his 70 to 75 fighters from eastern Oklahoma to north central and western Oklahoma. Many firefighters forcefully disagreed, effectively saying that assessment amounted to Monday-morning quarterbacking.

“We had over 130 fires in 44 counties,” one firefighter said after Goeller’s dismissal. “That’s going to be overwhelming for any agency, no matter how well-equipped you are. And I think we did the best we could with what we had.”

The preliminary report does not mention Goeller or assign blame for any failures, but Stitt said it vindicates his position.

“This report proves what too many on the ground already knew: Resources weren’t used effectively, and the response from the Forestry Department fell short,” the governor said. “Our firefighters were risking their lives without the backup they needed. That’s unacceptable.”

Considerations for Forestry Services

The Oklahoma Wildfire Working Group provided an initial targeted list of considerations for Oklahoma Forestry Services:

• Eliminate current designations of Protection Areas in eastern Oklahoma.

• Continue to mobilize OFS resources from eastern Oklahoma to proactively preposition based on predictive service guidelines.

• Expand prescribed fire opportunities.

• Designate an existing full-time OFS employee as an emergency management liaison to coordinate with the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.

• Implement a computer-aided dispatch system for more effective management of resources.

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Video: Gov. Stitt tours wildfire damage in Mannford, Stillwater

Stitt tours wildfire damage in Mannford, Stillwater

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