Key Points

• Emergency responders that serve the Osage Nation in Oklahoma have strengthened their capabilities with new equipment for rescuing people from flood waters.
• A grant from Marathon Pipe Line (MPL), a component of Marathon Petroleum’s midstream segment, MPLX, provided two swiftwater rescue boats and a utility terrain vehicle.
• The grant reflects a working relationship with the Osage Nation that includes joint training exercises related to MPL’s operation of a pipeline that crosses tribal land. 

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Deadly flooding in central Texas during the summer of 2025 prompted assistance from other states, including emergency responders that serve the Osage Nation in northeastern Oklahoma. This experience focused their attention on the need for swiftwater rescue equipment for flood-prone areas of the Osage Nation, which forms Oklahoma’s largest county with roughly 2,300 square miles.  

“Osage County has multiple areas of concern during heavy rainfall with more than 30 low water crossings and multiple lakes and creeks, and our western border is the Arkansas River,” said Osage Nation Emergency Management (ONEM) Director Bobby Tallchief.

𐓁𐓣 𐓏𐓘𐒽𐓣𐒿𐓘𐓯𐒷 “Rescuing them from the water”
𐓁𐓣	Water
𐓏𐓘𐒽𐓣𐒿𐓘𐓯𐒷	"Rescuing them"

Alphabetic characters from the Osage language that form the phrase, rescuing them from the water, representing the Osage Nation Swiftwater Rescue Team. 

A solution for meeting ONEM’s equipment needs recently came through its working relationship with Marathon Pipe Line (MPL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Marathon Petroleum’s midstream segment, MPLX. MPL, which operates the Ozark pipeline that crosses approximately 29 miles of the Osage Nation, provided a grant for the purchase of two swiftwater rescue boats with motors, a trailer to carry them and a utility terrain vehicle (UTV).  

 

“Swiftwater rescue is a much needed but often unfilled niche in the rescue world,” Tallchief said. “The boats’ maneuverability and small size are their key benefits. The UTV has heat and air conditioning to provide a place for individuals to recover after rescue, and it will help with shuttling equipment and personnel to targeted areas.”  

"We have received requests for assistance multiple times in the past from our neighboring tribes. We now have a unique set of skills and equipment available.”

MPL’s donations are an extension of its ongoing collaboration with the Osage Nation to strengthen safety and environmental stewardship. MPL and ONEM share updates about potential dangers, such as wildfires and other natural disasters, and take part in joint training exercises to promote safe operation of the Ozark pipeline and protection of the public. This month (October), they are participating in training together on Skiatook Lake that will simulate an incident response.

“The relationship we have in place with ONEM is one of trust and mutual respect,” said MPLX Lead Emergency Preparedness Professional Wyatt Kintner. “The swiftwater resources will help ensure that local first responders can quickly support the public and also assist MPLX in a time-critical emergency. The ONEM team will save lives with this equipment.” 

Director Tallchief highlighted how the impact of the donations will also reach far across the surrounding area.

“We have received requests for assistance multiple times in the past from our neighboring tribes. We now have a unique set of skills and equipment available,” said Tallchief. “Without the substantial contribution from Marathon Pipe Line, this endeavor would not have been possible. We look forward to assisting our communities in need.”