Hoxie ? Kansas firefighters soon may be able to enlist crop-dusting planes for help if a large wildfire breaks out in the state.

The Kansas Forest Service and the Great Bend Fire Department next week will play host to the first training seminar for crop-dusters who want to learn how to fight fires with their planes. The state hopes enough pilots will be interested to conduct similar sessions in the future.

Decatur County Atty. Steve Hirsch, who is also secretary of the Kansas State Firefighters Assn., said crop-dusters would be a big help for local fire departments, especially if a blaze breaks out in a remote area.

“There are some areas in most of our counties that are hard to access, and frankly, can be very dangerous to fight fires in,” Hirsch said. “Why would you want to risk a ground crew to a fast-moving fire when you might have the opportunity to use an aerial spray plane to knock a fire down and make it much safer for firefighters in vehicles on the ground?”

Nebraska, South Dakota, Colorado and Wisconsin all use planes to fight fires.

Casey McCoy, fire management coordinator for the Kansas Forest Service, said the only organized aerial help available in the state now was the Kansas Army National Guard’s Blackhawk helicopters in Topeka.

Their use is limited, he said, and it costs about $3,000 an hour to use a Blackhawk. He said the cost of using crop dusters to fight fires was about $850 an hour.

Safety is McCoy’s main reason for promoting aerial firefighting. He said windblown grassfires often outran firefighting equipment on the ground, forcing firefighters into hazardous situations.

Initially, crop-dusters will not be required to be certified specifically for firefighting. However, the state might issue certificates similar to what the federal government uses, McCoy said.

“In the short term, we will encourage pilots to attend courses such as the event coming up in Great Bend. At some point, it may become necessary to implement regular training and currency requirements,” McCoy said.

The state fire service is considering some type of reimbursement for pilots who help fight fires, but the initial costs will be borne by the volunteers. The Feb. 7 training seminar in Great Bend is free.