After fires burned nearly 200,000 acres across Oklahoma in March, Stitt criticized the Oklahoma Forestry Services' response. State Forester Mark Goeller stepped down afterward, and Stitt has now confirmed that resignation was at his request.
Now, a spokesperson for House Speaker Kyle Hilbert said his office has gotten reports that Stitt has suspended multiple Oklahoma Forestry Services employees and placed them under investigation. Those employees include Assistant Director Craig Marquardt and Public Information Officer Keith Merckx, among others whose names were not mentioned.
The governor sent out a press release Monday afternoon that did not mention the suspension of employees. He said Forestry Services were reluctant to answer questions about resources from Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Arthur and the Director of Emergency Management.
"When they received the answers they needed, they found that the director only deployed half of his available resources to help local firefighters around the state," Stitt said in the statement (emphasis his). "While our local firefighters were stretched thin, leadership at Forestry Services failed to act with the urgency the moment demanded."
Last week, Marquardt said the Forestry Services had been providing information for Arthur to pass to the governor. He also said the division's resources were fully committed during the fires.
In response to an email requesting more information about resources deployed or held back during the fires, a spokesperson for the governor's office responded at 3:08 p.m. Monday:
"Full report will be out soon, but for now:
51/96 firefighters deployed
12/34 engines deployed
16/37 dozers deployed."
Although the governor's office estimated the report would be out before 4:00 p.m., KOSU has not received it. Spokespeople for the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, which houses the Forestry Services, did not respond to a request for more information about those numbers.
As previously mentioned, the Forestry Services' public information officer is reportedly suspended. When KOSU called the Oklahoma Forestry Services' general phone line, the employee who answered said Marquardt and Merckx were out of the office.
The Oklahoma State Firefighters Association's board of directors wrote a letter to Stitt, supporting the Forestry Services and defending its operations during last month's fires. Here's an excerpt from the letter, dated Apr. 7:
"OFS has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with local firefighters during large-scale, complex wildfire incidents for decades, bringing with them specialized equipment, operational expertise, and a depth of experience that cannot be replicated at the local level. Their rapid deployment and coordination during the recent March 14-16th fires helped prevent significant loss of property and ensure the health of our residents."
The letter, embedded below, is also endorsed by dozens of local and volunteer fire departments.
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