Reno County Emergency Management

Fire District 1 has deployed a task force consisting of a command vehicle, two UTVs, and five personnel to assist with the wildfires in Clark and Meade counties. In addition, South Hutchinson is sending one UTV and three personnel to work alongside our task force. This deployment is expected to last 48 hours.
The UTVs will be used in canyon areas that are inaccessible to larger fire apparatus.
Given the support we have received from surrounding counties in the past, we remain committed to providing assistance whenever we have firefighters who are willing and able to respond.

5/19 9:00pm update from Operations Chief Tyler Eash:
“We started out on the north side of Highway 160, mainly on the east side, putting out hotspots where the brush trucks couldn’t reach. Around 4:15 PM, we were moved to the west side with Sedgwick County to finish out the day working additional hotspots.
We wrapped up around 7:30 PM. The crews did a great job today. We just arrived at our hotel in Dodge City. Tomorrow we’ll report back to Ashland at 9:00 AM and link up with the Pratt County UTV crew.”

5/20 7:30pm final update: Our crews had another productive day and have been released to return home.

This photo was taken by Fire Administrator Travis Vogt earlier this week on their last deployment to mead County.

Moderate Risk for severe weather today.

On 5/14, Reno County Fire District 1 and the Hutchinson Fire Department deployed a task force to assist with wildfire operations in southwest Kansas. The task force consisted of 1 command vehicle, 4 brush trucks, 1 tender, and 11 firefighters.
Our crews spent the night battling wildfires and protecting property in the Meade area. We will continue to have personnel in Meade throughout the weekend assisting with operations.
Over the years, thousands of firefighters have come to Reno County to help us during times of need. We are incredibly grateful for the firefighters — and their families — who are willing to answer the call and assist communities in need. We are proud and happy to reciprocate that support when our neighboring communities need assistance.

5/15 5:35pm update: The Reno County Task Force is enroute to Ashland to assist with wildfire operations.

5/16 1pm Update: The task force spent yesterday evening southeast of Mineola assisting with wildfire operations. Crews returned to their hotel at approximately 6:30am this morning for some well deserved rest after working through the night. The task force is scheduled to complete one final operational period this evening before returning home tomorrow evening.

5/17 final update: The task force arrived home about 1:30 this after noon. Some of the Hutchinson Fire Department firefighters remained on scene to continue operations.

Here are a few photos taken by County Fire Administrator Travis Vogt.

Two rounds of severe storms are possible today and tonight. The second round of storms has the potential to produce significant weather across the area after 8 pm.

[Severe Storm Outlook Through 5 PM] Isolated to scattered thunderstorm development is expected across the yellow shaded area through 5 PM. Any storm that develops will be capable of 2-inch hail, damaging winds up to 70 mph, and a tornado cannot be ruled out.

Monitor for possible severe storms this afternoon and evening. The most likely window for some strong or severe storms is expected between 5 pm and 1am

In the past two days, Reno County Fire District #1 has responded to several calls where controlled burns have gotten out of control and tied up many of our County recourses for several hours. While the weather has been warm with light and variable winds, those conditions have caused issues for people conducting burns due to the wind changing directions during the burns.

We have also received numerous calls asking why brush piles are not being authorized today even though the wind speed is low. Even though conditions might be favorable today, in the next 72 hours there will be a significant increase in fire danger for Saturday and especially Sunday with conditions being listed as Very High and Extreme Fire danger. Brush piles burned today, are what have historically rekindled on days like we are forecasted to experience this weekend. We understand the landowners frustration, however, one of the requirements for safe burning practices is to look ahead at the forecast to determine possible issues that could arise due to the weather in the coming days.

At the end of the day, the rules that are in place were established to keep the landowners conducting the burn, other citizens in the county, property, and firefighters safety in mind. Please plan ahead when conducting any controlled burns.

Very high to extreme grassland fire danger is expected Thursday afternoon for a majority of the area thanks in large part to strong wind gusts out of the southwest. These conditions will make it difficult to nearly impossible to control any outdoor fire that manages to develop.

On March 7, 2026, over 60 firefighters from Reno County Fire District #1, Hutchinson Fire Department, and South Hutchinson Fire Department gathered for a countywide training over vehicle extrication. Crews trained over basic extrication techniques, talked about new vehicle construction, and used the 4 hours to practice with the tools that they carry on their trucks. We would like to thank resident Jon Mead for allowing our crews the opportunity to do some hands on training by providing several cars to work with to help sharpen their skills incase they are called upon to use these skills.