The National Weather Service issued a Fire Weather Warning Monday. The high temperatures, dry air, and windy conditions are putting the South Plains at greater risk for grass fires. Captain Kevin Henricks from the West Carlisle fire department explained the risks.
“With it being this warm this early we’ve already seen an increased risk in the fires, especially the wild land and grass fires.”
Volunteer firefighters like Kevin Hendricks work hard to keep you safe.
“That entails giving back to the community when we can, volunteer of course, there is no pay in it. Coming up here every week with each other keeping the trucks up to date, maintenance and making sure they’re ready to role at anytime.”
For West Carlisle fire department being prepared is extremely important.
“Whenever somebody calls is when we get called. If we are able to we go, which a lot of people, especially around here in Lubbock, a lot of the volunteers that work for different companies, you know, they’re pretty understanding and a lot of them will let them go during the day which helps us out tremendously. “
Safety is their number one concern.
“The first thing we do is make sure live safety is number one, of course. Make sure everyone is out of harms way. If it is burning towards someone’s house we will go up to them and ask them to evacuate. We have to put the fire out of course so we will focus on that while we are doing it safely because we have to come home to our families at the end of the day.”
You too can help the firefighters by taking the necessary precautions.
