Kansas Farmer Logo

Rural firefighters are the helpers we look toRural firefighters are the helpers we look to

Cowtowns & Skyscrapers: Rural volunteer departments keep their neighbors safe and need our help.

Jennifer M. Latzke, Editor

January 31, 2025

3 Min Read
Fire truck at firehouse
RURAL FIRE: Volunteer rural fire departments are there when we need them the most. It’s on all of us to support them however we are able. onepony/Getty Images

The scenes out of the California wildfires are heartbreaking.

For those who lived through Anderson Creek, Starbuck, Four County and a host of other named massive Kansas wildfires in the past decade, the photos and video are sadly familiar: a combination of wind and dry kindling conditions that erupt into fast-moving flames that gobble up acres like a monster, reducing everything in its path to ashes and melted metals without regard to socioeconomic status or how many awards and accolades are on the mantle.

You, my friends who’ve been there, know better than some the fear, uncertainty, anger and sorrow that these Californian neighbors are experiencing right now.

I’ve spoken to some of you across Kansas during and after these wildfire events, hoping that by sharing your story, attention is brought to the region and your recovery needs. Other stories are meant to educate others to prepare their homes and farms to be more disaster-proof, to take a lesson from the tragedy.

Most importantly, telling those stories puts faces to the devastation. It’s not just acres and structures and a dollar amount. It’s the family home, the baby album, the wedding dress and the year’s calving records lost. It’s the tales of neighbors helping neighbors and volunteers from other states coming to the aid of people in need.

Related:When the news hits close to home

Mr. Rogers told us as kids that in times of trouble, look to the helpers. We’ve certainly seen how our rural fire departments step up to be helpers at times like these. I’ve got a special spot in my heart for those who volunteer in our rural fire departments, who are rural emergency medical technicians and first responders. The ones who carry their emergency radios to children’s plays and who carry gear in their pickups just in case.

They volunteer to serve their neighbors and strangers in the darkest hours of need, with no pay, and carry the burden of the tragedies they’ve seen.

If we take a lesson out of the California fires, and those previous fire events closer to home, let it be that we need more people to raise their hands and volunteer to serve their neighbors as emergency responders. And that those of us who can’t volunteer at the very least support them when we can.

In our communities, that’s being an employer that supports its employees who volunteer on rural fire departments with flexible scheduling so that they can train and respond to emergencies during the workweek if they need it. One of the top reasons given for reduced volunteer numbers in our rural departments is that it interferes with work schedules.

Related:Rev up and ride: Explore Kansas’ best automotive and motorcycle museums

It’s having a conversation with young people about the opportunities that volunteer firefighting or emergency response provides to them, and encouraging them to join volunteer departments when they are of age. It’s going to their public education events and learning CPR, basic first aid skills or simple home defense so that we can be prepared.

Supporting our volunteer crews means showing up to the chili suppers, the pancake feeds and the dozens of other fundraisers they conduct throughout the year and kicking a little more into the boot. It’s helping them write grant proposals for upgrading equipment and being a voice on their behalf on the county commission when the budget is discussed.

Not everyone will need a volunteer firefighter in their lifetime. Right now, it’s our neighbors in California. Next month or the month after, it might be Kansas again. That’s the nature of natural disasters — you don’t get to pick where they start and how long they last.

All we can do is support the ones who’ll be there when we need them the most, every day of the year.

About the Author

Jennifer M. Latzke

Editor, Kansas Farmer

Through all her travels, Jennifer M. Latzke knows that there is no place like Kansas.

Jennifer grew up on her family’s multigenerational registered Angus seedstock ranch and diversified farm just north of Woodbine, Kan., about 30 minutes south of Junction City on the edge of the Kansas Flint Hills. Rock Springs Ranch State 4-H Center was in her family’s backyard.

While at Kansas State University, Jennifer was a member of the Sigma Kappa Sorority and a national officer for the Agricultural Communicators of Tomorrow. She graduated in May 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural communications and a minor in animal science. In August 2000 Jennifer started her 20-year agricultural writing career in Dodge City, Kan., on the far southwest corner of the state.

She’s traveled across the U.S. writing on wheat, sorghum, corn, cotton, dairy and beef stories as well as breaking news and policy at the local, state and national levels. Latzke has traveled across Mexico and South America with the U.S. Wheat Associates and toured Vietnam as a member of KARL Class X. She’s traveled to Argentina as one of 10 IFAJ-Alltech Young Leaders in Agricultural Journalism. And she was part of a delegation of AAEA: The Ag Communicators Network members invited to Cuba.

Jennifer’s an award-winning writer, columnist, and podcaster, recognized by the Kansas Professional Communicators, Kansas Press Association, the National Federation of Presswomen, Livestock Publications Council, and AAEA. In 2019, Jennifer reached the pinnacle of achievements, earning the title of “Writer of Merit” from AAEA.

Trips and accolades are lovely, but Jennifer says she is happiest on the road talking to farmers and ranchers and gathering stories and photos to share with readers.

“It’s an honor and a great responsibility to be able to tell someone’s story and bring them recognition for their work on the land,” Jennifer says. “But my role is also evolving to help our more urban neighbors understand the issues our Kansas farmers face in bringing the food and fiber to their store shelves.”

She spends her time gardening, crafting, watching K-State football, and cheering on her nephews and niece in their 4-H projects. She can be found on Twitter at @Latzke.

Subscribe to receive top agriculture news
Be informed daily with these free e-newsletters

You May Also Like