Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

85 Families To Benefit From VFD

There will be a new volunteer fire department near Gurdon.

Members of the Center Ridge community met at the Center Grove Methodist Church Thursday night to decide if they wanted a new VFD, as their area falls just outside other fire protection boundaries.

This does not mean they didn't have fire protection, but, simply, there was no specific fire department responsible for coming to fires in their area.

About 100 people filled the church to hear what would have to be done and how they would be affected by a VFD.

Mary Burns, who is spearheading the effort, acted as moderator for the meeting. She said 85 families would be affected by the creation of a fire department, and they could see drastic reductions in their insurance premiums.

Prior to the meeting, 14 or 15 men had signed up to be volunteer firefighters, should the community want a new department.

Burns said the area could drop from a class 11 or 12 rating, which it currently has, to a 9 or 10 insurance rating. This would result in lower premiums for homeowners.

Eddie Clark, with the Arkansas Farm Bureau, said with the interest shown at the meeting, there should be no problem in getting a department established.

He told the audience when the insurance company's risk factor drops it can then reduce premium costs to the policyholders.

According to Clark, a family paying $768 per year currently under a class 11 ISO rating, would pay $530 annually under a class 9 rating.

Steve Wood, also from AFB, quoted policy reductions based on the cost of homes.

He said a $30,000 home, currently at $619.52 a year, would pay $422.54. A home valued at $40,000, paying $678.32 now, would see a drop to $463.70.

The smallest reduction in policy cost would be for mobile homes. Wood said a mobile home valued at $20,000, paying a policy of $287.80 a year at this time, would go to $212.80 under a class 9 rating.

Burns told the audience getting to a class 9 is where they would have to start. As the department improves, the ISO rating and insurance premiums would drop as well.

"These savings," she said, "should generate interest."

Additionally, Burns said, with a VFD in the area, response times to fires would drop significantly as well.

The VFD would cover a five-mile radius, based on road miles, not as the crow flies. The coverage area, which would affect the 911 zone and ISO ratings, would be measured from the door of the VFD building to the front door of property owners involved.

Burns reminded the audience they do have fire protection from Curtis, DeGray and Okolona departments, but none cover the entire area. Additionally, the Gurdon Fire Department will respond to fires in the area, but charges $500 per truck and $25 per man responding.

"Gurdon has a good fire department and equipment, but their priority is to Gurdon," she said.

Burns said once the department is formed in Center Ridge, it will work to get mutual aid agreements with VFDs in Okolona, Curtis, Bierne and Hollywood.

The main problem in the Center Ridge community is the lack of available water. Burns said this can be overcome with dry hydrants.

In fact, Jim Burns, Clark County Office of Emergency Services Coordinator, said under the Rural Development Commission (RCD), formerly the Farmer's Home Administration, grants can be obtained to construct dry hydrants and build ponds if necessary.

The RCD, he said, wants to help communities meet their water needs for fire protection. He said the governmental entity has designed its program where areas can literally hook up to the dry hydrants and be ready to fight fires, and fully fund these projects.

John Reedy, rural fire defense coordinator with the Arkansas Forestry Commission (AFC), also said the AFC has a program to provide fire trucks to rural departments at little cost. However, these trucks can only be used for fire fighting.

He said the vehicles can't be used for search and rescue missions, or anything other than fires.

The commission has been operating this program since 1979, he said, and has placed 1,288 vehicles with VFDs across the state.

The trucks are reconstructed military vehicles, and come fully equipped on 2.5 ton flatbed chassis with 750 gallon pumping capability. Reedy said these vehicles meet all class 9 ISO requirements on delivery.

However, he told those gathered, before insurance companies drop the ISO ratings, they want to see documented response times from the VFD involved.

The vehicles, Reedy continued, are painted at the Tucker unit of the Arkansas Department of Corrections, and are fully examined before being delivered.

The cost to the community for the vehicle, he said, would be about $11,700, which covers the cost of painting and equipment added.

The entire cost does not have to be paid up front, he said. The AFC has a two-year payment plan for the vehicles. "We don't want the trucks back," the audience was told. "We will work with you."

Primarily, the trucks are delivered on a first-come, first-served basis. However, Reedy said this can be bypassed if need can be shown.

"This," he said of the truck program, "is the ultimate payback to taxpayers."

Burns said a building for the VFD could be constructed for $15,000, and the department can then file for a grant for a like amount.

She said the next filing date for the Rural Advocacy Grant is in September. If the VFD can get a building up by then, it can try for the grant.

If all worked according to plan, Burns said, the VFD could have the grant money by November and pay for the truck in cash.

Fees for members of the department would be required, she said, for the day-to-day maintenance and operation of the entity.

The OES coordinator said with a VFD, the area would be eligible for state turnback funds under the Act 833 program.

This, he said, would amount to about $2,000 for the Center Ridge VFD. The money could be used for operational costs of the department.

Additionally, when the department achieves class 9 status, it will be eligible to receive 1 percent of the total sales tax collected in the county, as divided by the class 9 departments. This would mean another $2,000 for the department.

He said there is other criteria which must be met before a class 9 rating is earned, though. This includes classes firemen will be required to take, either through the county or at the Arkansas Fire Training Academy in Camden. The training records, Burns said, will be checked.

The Center Ridge VFD would have an easy time getting its volunteers properly trained. Robert Burns, who lives in the area, is the training officer for the GFD. He is qualified to teach three of the required classes.

Other courses could be taken through the AFC, a