08/16/2026
Over the past 15 days, the Philadelphia Volunteer Fire Department has responded to 8 calls for service — 7 of those have been fire-related.
We want to respectfully ask everyone in our district and surrounding communities to use extreme caution with any outdoor burning, welding, cutting, mowing, or other activity that could create a spark or open flame.
Depending on the incident and available personnel, a typical fire response from Station 22 may include:
* 1 tanker staffed with 2 firefighters carrying approximately 3,000 gallons of water
* 3 brush trucks staffed with approximately 6 firefighters carrying a combined 1,000 gallons of water
* 1 combination brush/tanker unit staffed with 2 firefighters carrying an additional 1,000 gallons of water
That represents approximately 5,000 gallons of water and 10 volunteer firefighters mobilizing, often within 15–20 minutes, to respond to an uncontrolled fire within our district or to assist one of our neighboring departments.
That is a significant commitment of people, equipment, fuel, water, and time — and every one of those firefighters is a volunteer who may be leaving work, home, family, or other responsibilities when the pager goes off.
Temperatures are expected to continue climbing throughout the week, and without substantial rainfall, our fire conditions will continue to deteriorate. Grass and vegetation can ignite quickly, and under the right wind conditions, a small fire can become an uncontrolled wildfire in a matter of minutes.
We are not asking anyone to stop necessary work. We are simply asking everyone to slow down, evaluate the conditions, have adequate water available, avoid burning during windy or extremely hot periods, and never leave a fire unattended.
Please help us protect our homes, farms, livestock, property, and firefighters.
One preventable fire is one fire too many.
Thank you for continuing to support the Philadelphia Volunteer Fire Department — Station 22, Bryan County, Oklahoma.
