Source: Numerous high-level state forestry officials placed on leave amid Stitt crackdown on agency

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Sources confirmed to News 4 on Monday numerous high-level employees at Oklahoma Forestry Services (OFS) have been placed on paid leave—and in one case possibly fired—after Governor Kevin Stitt ordered the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture to investigate OFS following last month’s deadly wildfire outbreak.

Also on Monday, the Oklahoma Firefighters Association sent Stitt a letter asking him to not move forward with his idea to eliminate OFS, saying it would increase the burden local fire departments already face, and place the state a greater risk for more wildfire outbreaks.

Hundreds of properties were destroyed and at least one man lost his life when a historic wildfire outbreak swept across Oklahoma on March 14.

The outbreak, a result of record dry conditions and hurricane strength winds, had been widely and publicly forecast by meteorologists the week leading up to March 14.

Despite the forecasts, Stitt never issued as statewide burn ban.

A farm Stitt owns north of Luther was destroyed in the fire.

On March 15, Stitt posted a video of the damage to his Facebook page.

“We’ll be rebuilding with all of Oklahoma,” Stitt said in the video.

The following week, Stitt fired longtime OFS director Mark Goeller.

Stitt told News 4 in a statement:

“At the forestry director’s direction, firefighting resources were delayed, unused, or even called back during critical moments.”

Goeller responded on social media.

“I have been falsely accused of not performing the duties necessary to protect life and property in a timely manner,” Goeller said. “The Agency to which I dedicated over 40 years of my life was said to have performed poorly. Preparations were made well in advance, the public was notified of the impending fire danger, firefighting resources were ordered and in place. Nothing was held back as the events of the 14th and following days unfolded."

Goeller’s firing was to the dismay of numerous firefighters across the state, who argued it was Stitt who neglected his duty by not declaring a statewide burn ban.

“It was like a slap in the face to all of us because if the forestry service didn’t do a good enough job, then us as the fire department didn’t do a good enough job,” said Jason Dobson, Fire Chief with the Olive Fire Department. “Unfortunately, the one that we have to blame is Mother Nature. That’s the only one we have to blame for this event.”

Dobson’s fire department later publicly called for Stitt to be impeached over his decision to fire Goeller.

Oklahoma House Speaker house Kyle Hilbert (R-Bristow) and Senate President Pro-tempore Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle) also criticized Stitt’s choice to blame OFS.

Last week, Stitt took his feelings about OFS one step further.

"Why do I have even have a department of forestry? Let’s get rid of the whole thing,” Stitt said at his weekly press conference last week.

On Monday, the Oklahoma Firefighters’ Association sent Stitt a letter, telling him they have “deep concern” over Stitt’s idea to eliminate forestry services, calling it “troubling” and warning it would “shift the burden to already strained local departments.”

At the same time Monday, Stitt announced he’d ordered the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry (ODAFF) and Department of Public Safety to open a full-scale investigation into OFS’s handling of the March 14 wildfire outbreak.

On Monday, sources close to the situation confirmed to News 4 enormous high-level OFS employees had been placed on paid leave as a result of the investigation, and at least one of them may have been fired.

News 4 reached out to an OFS spokesperson Monday, but did not get a response.  

News 4 also reached out to an ODAFF spokesperson Monday with several questions.

The spokesperson did not answer News 4’s questions, instead only saying:

“ODAFF does not comment on personnel matters.”

News 4 followed up with the spokesperson, asking them to simply share whether several specific OFS employees were still employed with the state as of Monday afternoon.

According to Oklahoma state statute, 51 OK Stat § 51-24A.7 a state employee’s "dates of employment, title or position" are not considered private personnel records, and "shall be available for public inspection” when requested.

However, when News 4 asked the ODAFF spokesperson for those employees’ employment statuses, the spokesperson refused comply with that state statue, instead again telling News 4:

“ODAFF does not comment on personnel matters.”

News 4 also reached out to Stitt’s office on Monday with several questions.

Nobody responded to News 4.

Later on Monday, Stitt’s office released statement, saying in part: 

"Our local and rural firefighters are heroes. Plain and simple. While they were out fighting fires and saving lives, the bureaucracy within the forestry division’s leadership withheld nearly 50% of resources from those facing the most dire fire situations.”