In his June 2014 newsletter, Tontitown Mayor Jack Beckford says "If you have a need and call 9-1-1, a fully qualified person will respond with all of the necessary equipment to meet your need right behind." Let's look closer.
He proudly states Tontitown has a 1996 Pierce Dash with 92,251 miles and a 1990 Pierce Dash with 27,071 miles. Note that there is no tanker required to shuttle water from far-away hydrants to keep the pumpers going. I have never had a vehicle with more than 90,000 miles and I have owned a number for over 10 years. It sounds like there was excessive usage for one pumper, supposedly for fires within only a couple miles.
The mayor goes on to say we have firefighter staff qualified as Fireman 1 and 2. In truth, according to the website table, only several have put in the hundreds of hours of education and exams. In fact, the chief has none of these qualifications and another officer has only Level 1.
To evaluate his training claims, I looked at a county in another state that I know well. With 36,000 people, 20 volunteer departments, towns much smaller than Tontitown, others no bigger than 7,800, with business districts, churches, schools, several universities, Walmart and malls, a retired fire chief and other firefighters stated volunteers are generally expected to attain Level 1 in one year and Level 2 within two years along with exams and other requirements.
Sorry, mayor, I am not convinced.
Jerry Davison
Tontitown
Commentary on 07/12/2014