We have been watching the California wildfires on TV for the last few days.
Questions
Has the city of Youngstown ever experienced wildfires involving burning fields or forests? If so, when?
Are there any firefighting helicopters or airplanes stationed in this part of the country?
I have not been able to find any reports of major brush fires in the YFD history. There have been many small scale brush fires but the city has always had the luxury of hydrants, water lines and the Mahoning River, Lake Glacier, Lake Newport, and McKelvey Lake. One of the big problems in the sections of California experiencing the
wildfires is the lack of water resources.
According to a recent press release from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, they have firefighting units stationed throughout Ohio.
"The Division of Forestry currently has cooperative wildfire suppression agreements with 325 fire departments located within the division's fire protection area, which includes eastern and southeastern Ohio, as well as the Maumee State Forest area of northwestern Ohio. Fire departments interested in the program should contact Rick Maier at (740) 774-1596, ext. 7 for information."
My guess is that if something major ever happened around here like what is going on in California, Local FD's would would be working, ODNR would have resources committed, aircraft could be called in from the Allegheny National Forest areas to the east and the Federal Emergency Management Agency would send teams of smoke jumpers and resources into the area.