***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[Ksane]

rofl!!!!!!!

Quick thinking, Kass lol!!

 

[prettychicks]

rofl!!!!!!!

Quick thinking, Kass lol!!

 

[nnbreeder]

Will do, Maribeth. Thanks. Few tons? What do you use to haul "a few tons"? I'm truck-ignorant, so when I see something rated half ton or 3/4 ton, I figure that is all it can effectively haul. Am I off on that? I sure would like to pick up a ton at a time with my half ton van.

I'm not a big fan of leghorns, either, but they are prodigious layers and we are desperate to get our production levels up. If leghorns can't do it, nothing can.

It would be great if Okies in the line of fires could check in occasionally so we know you are safe and well. This stuff is scary.

Half ton van. I personally wouldn't advise it. Vans are made more for creature comfort then hauling. The springs on the back are longer for a better ride and there are not as many leaves in them. Then there are limiting factors too such as tires and brakes.

Got a reciever hitch on the back? Might be time to look into a trailer of some type to help with the chores. I pulled a 16' car hauler with my half ton Ford van for years but when loaded with hay it was slow going. Van didn't have enough weight to stop the load.

 

[nnbreeder]

When I went to town at 4 the Eastern sky was clear. When I came home a little later there was a huge smoke plume that looked like it was in the Guthrie area.

That is some rough country over there to try to fight fires.

 

[NanaKat]

Was in Shawnee today when the firetrucks headed to I-40 and exit 182....huge plume of smoke. Then a fire on the other side of the interstate near St. Gregory's college. No reports yet on what might have sparked them....

The wind is shifting with the front coming down from the north....hope that doesn't put folks back in danger in some of these fires around the state.

Everyone stay safe and have your hoses ready. A friend secured a circulating sprinkler on his roof and braced it. He ran a short hose down where he can snap on a water hose if he has to evacuate.

Keep your "good" stuff ready to load into your vehicles. Photos, medical records, medicine, tax records and receipts.
Have bottled water and extra changes of clothes. Cages ready to fill - animals are hard to load when they get scared.
Discuss your exit plans with your family members and have an outside contact person.

Roger's mom was nearly burned out in Choctaw several years ago by an encroaching fire. We were able to beat it down 3 feet from the garage. She had already loaded her photos in the trunk of her car and was ready to go.

Never want to go thru that again and my heart breaks for those in the paths of these fires.

 

[prettychicks]

Was in Shawnee today when the firetrucks headed to I-40 and exit 182....huge plume of smoke. Then a fire on the other side of the interstate near St. Gregory's college. No reports yet on what might have sparked them....

The wind is shifting with the front coming down from the north....hope that doesn't put folks back in danger in some of these fires around the state.

Everyone stay safe and have your hoses ready. A friend secured a circulating sprinkler on his roof and braced it. He ran a short hose down where he can snap on a water hose if he has to evacuate.

Keep your "good" stuff ready to load into your vehicles. Photos, medical records, medicine, tax records and receipts.
Have bottled water and extra changes of clothes. Cages ready to fill - animals are hard to load when they get scared.
Discuss your exit plans with your family members and have an outside contact person.

Roger's mom was nearly burned out in Choctaw several years ago by an encroaching fire. We were able to beat it down 3 feet from the garage. She had already loaded her photos in the trunk of her car and was ready to go.

Never want to go thru that again and my heart breaks for those in the paths of these fires.

We are on pins and needles here due to the fires. They are still spreading. The news channels are NOT doing a good job of covering the Little Axe fires. Fortunately for us we all tap into the online scanners. The fire has crossed to the North side of Hwy 9 and they are set up at 168th somewhere trying to keep it from spreading further. With the dry conditions and the winds and this heat, the firefighters are exhausted. Please keep up in your prayers.

 

[nnbreeder]

I followed the fires in Australia and New Zeland very close years ago. The houses in that part of the world have metal roofs but the ash and embers piling up on the roofs set the wood under it on fire, don't fall for the percieved safety of a metal roof. The fires there were so bad that roadways caught fire as well.

An image that I won't soon forget was that of a firefighter holding about a 2' hose spraying water on a fully engulfed 80' Gum tree while standing in waist-high dry grass. Firefigfhters are tough no matter where they are.

Usually a power company will shut down the power in an area affected by fire so that burnt poles and dropping wires don't set more fires. If you are on city/rural water you can still use water from a hose. If you have a well, as many of us do, when the electricity goes out so does your water which is something to remember.

I agree about the news coverage too. A person should know about where the fires are before the police come and evacuate them.

It suprises me too that there are not more fire trucks here that are better prepared for fighting brush fires. A tender truck with a 4" water cannon on it will shoot a stream of water over two hundred yards and carry nearly 5000 gallons of water with it. Most of the time they couple them with tank trucks so they can stay in the field longer.

Suprises me too that companies like Devon and Chesapeak will donate to create a park but I havent heard of them donating to the local volunteer fire depts. When people are considering CNG conversions I hope they keep this in the back of their minds.

Those of the Nations that do support the firefighting efforts statewide, Thank You.

 

[Gigiintheforest]

We are on pins and needles here due to the fires. They are still spreading. The news channels are NOT doing a good job of covering the Little Axe fires. Fortunately for us we all tap into the online scanners. The fire has crossed to the North side of Hwy 9 and they are set up at 168th somewhere trying to keep it from spreading further. With the dry conditions and the winds and this heat, the firefighters are exhausted. Please keep up in your prayers.

This is so true. We are North of the fire at 132nd but couldn't find anything about what was happening. We ended up driving around as much as we could to get an idea of where the fires are. The smoke plume has definitely grown again now that it is getting dark so we will have a restless night again with no relief from the news channels. But we have the animals ready to load if we need to. The poor firefighters - this is an impossible situation and we still have all of august heat to get through.

 

[qldchook]

This is so true. We are North of the fire at 132nd but couldn't find anything about what was happening. We ended up driving around as much as we could to get an idea of where the fires are. The smoke plume has definitely grown again now that it is getting dark so we will have a restless night again with no relief from the news channels. But we have the animals ready to load if we need to. The poor firefighters - this is an impossible situation and we still have all of august heat to get through.

Our thoughts and prayers from Australia are with everyone being threatened by fires over there. Please be safe and if you have to leave please do not leave it too late.

 

[nnbreeder]

In the last 20 minutes the wind-shift line has came through Kingfisher. Winds are probably 5-15mph and from the North - Northwest. It's still a hot breeze but the cloud cover has increased which makes the 100+ not feel as bad.

Hopefully it will bring in some rain.