Serving the Ozarks: Willard Fire Protection District
Fire departments all over the Ozarks have responded to a record number of calls early this spring.
Crews have worked tirelessly to fight wildfires and save homes in their communities.
It's been no different for the Willard Fire Protection District, and this week, we stopped by to say thank you, learn about the station, and bring a free lunch to firefighters.
Fire Chief Kevin Samsel says his crews ran 25 more calls this past March than any other month on record.
Chief Samsel recently took over the role in late January, continuing his 16 years career with the district.
He says average response times in its 72-square mile service area is just six minutes.
Serving the Ozarks: A Bed for Izzy
During the record month of March, Willard firefighters worked through the night to tame wildfires in Douglas County.
The threat of grass and wildfires is decreasing now that fields are turning green and we enter severe weather season but for Lt. Andy Blake, fire safety is still top of mind.
He reminds people any spark can be dangerous.
Willard is also unique in the area that it's one of only a few that has trained paramedics on staff.
It's needed too as two-thirds of all calls they respond to are for medical emergencies.
You can watch the full Serving the Ozarks story above. Bailey Strohl will be back next week to highlight another deserving agency.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
A warm Wednesday, with the chance for rain returning tomorrow
LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — We have seen lots of sunshine across Mid-Michigan for the first half of our Wednesday. We will hold on to dry and mostly sunny conditions as we move throughout the rest of the day. By tomorrow afternoon, the chance for rain will increase across the region as we enter a more active weather pattern. The dry and mostly sunny conditions we have across the area this afternoon and evening will help boost our high temperature into the mid-80s. Dew points will begin to climb into the upper 50s this afternoon. However, while it will feel slightly humid outside, winds will be gusting close to 30 miles per hour to provide some relief. Dew point temperatures will rise into the low to mid-60s Thursday through Saturday, allowing humidity to increase across the region. In addition to the humidity, rain chances will return to the forecast by Thursday, with a few isolated showers and thunderstorms possible in the afternoon and evening. We hold on to the chance for precipitation Friday and Saturday, with scattered showers and thunderstorms in the forecast, thanks to a front that will stall out across our region. Dry and mostly cloudy conditions will return in time for Father's Day, which should be incredibly nice across Mid-Michigan, with low humidity and highs in the mid-70s. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Temperatures will dip slightly before heading into hot weekend
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Expect a slight dip in Wednesday afternoon temperatures — maybe 1 to 3 degrees cooler than Tuesday. Hot and dry conditions Afternoon breezes will last through next week Staying above normal The forecast calls for a high temperature of 106 degrees. Air quality is in the moderate range due to breezy winds and lower temperatures, which are keeping ozone levels in check. Winds will strengthen in the afternoon with gusts between 20 to 30 mph, decreasing in the evening and overnight hours. Winds will hang around through next week. Even though winds won't prompt any wind alerts, they can bring increasing fire weather concerns to our region due to the dry vegetation. Fortunately, we aren't in the critical category for fire danger. As we take a look ahead to the weekend, afternoon highs seem to rise by 2-4 degrees again, with increasing clouds and breezy winds. Sunday seems to be the hottest day of the weekend with a high temperature of 108 degrees. Because that's Father's Day, many people will be out and about, so it's important to stay hydrated and cool. Wednesday: 106/80 Thursday: 104/79 Friday:104/80 Saturday: 106/82 Father's Day: 108/82 Monday: 106/80 Tuesday: 109/79 Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Home destroyed as Ranch Fire scorches thousands of acres in San Bernardino Co.
Evacuation orders remain in place Wednesday morning for a wildfire burning in San Bernardino County that has scorched thousands of acres and left one home in ruins. The Ranch Fire, which began just after 2:30 p.m. near Bowen Ranch Road and Roundup Way in Apple Valley, had burned 4,205 acres as of 6:50 a.m. Wednesday, Cal Fire officials stated in an update. Video showed firefighters trying to douse wind-driven flames as they burned a single-story home Tuesday afternoon. 'On Wednesday, conditions will remain critical: low humidity (10–15%) and increasing south-southwest winds, with afternoon gusts up to 26 mph. These conditions are expected to sustain active fire behavior,' Cal Fire stated in its update. Evacuation orders are in place from Milpas Drive to High Road, south of Highway 18. An evacuation shelter was set up at Sitting Bull Academy at 19445 Sitting Bull Road in Apple Valley. An animal evacuation center has opened on the Victorville Fairgrounds at 1400 7th St. Containment of the fire was updated to 10% as of Wednesday morning. No containment had previously been reported for the blaze. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.