Avoca Fire and Rescue
Annual Report

By Allen Merritt

Last year, 2008, was a good year for the Avoca Fire and Rescue Department. They responded to 341 fire, accident, emergency medical, and public assistance calls, including the traditional cat rescue. Additionally, after the ice and windstorms, they cleared numerous trees from the roads and delivered firewood to residents without heat.

In 2008, Avoca firefighters requested and received a $60,000 grant to build a second station at 17307 Posy Mountain Road. The Board of Directors purchased 10 acres for the station. They then sold 4 acres for enough to pay off the note on the new property. The firefighters cleared the land, and Benton County Road Dept. prepared the building site. After contractors poured the footing and erected the steel building, the firefighters wired the building and installed heating equipment. On December 21, the firefighters moved a pumper truck and a brush truck into the new fire station. They will put in a restroom and office area in 2009.

With the Posey Mountain Station, most homeowners in Avoca’s fire district will be within five miles of a fire station, which is important when insurance companies figure fire insurance costs. Several firefighters live near the new station, so residents in the area will receive a quicker response to emergency calls.

Now that the county is collecting Avoca’s rural fire dues, the department’s board of directors developed a realistic budget. The board voted to advance the department from an (all-volunteer) to a (part-paid) department by paying Chief Frankie Elliot and Assistant Chief Richard Winn small salaries. Having the additional station and with paid officers, the board hopes that in late 2009, when the new water lines and hydrants being installed by the water department are completed, our Fire Insurance ISO Rating will become much better. The lower ISO rating should lower fire insurance cost considerably, a lot more than the increase in fire dues. An additional plus to the Avoca Fire Department is that half of the firefighters are highly trained professional firefighters, EMTs, or Paramedics with Rogers and Bentonville fire departments.  

Last year, with assistance from the town of Avoca, the community room in the main station was remodeled and rewired. The board also updated the department’s By-Laws. Check out the department’s new webpage at: avocafirerescue.org.

The Avoca Fire and Rescue Department needs volunteers who are willing to train with our proposed Citizens Emergency Response Team (CERT). CERT is somewhat like the old Civil Defense and works closely with the Red Cross, FEMA, and local fire departments. The CERT volunteers will be trained to take care of themselves and others during natural or manmade disasters by doing things like: safely putting out small fires, coordinating with each other through organized telephone lists, checking on neighbors, providing basic first aid, using their 4x4s to transport personnel like nurses to critical jobs, using their saws, generators, and tractors as needed, etc. FEMA will provide CERT personnel with vests and emergency response kits. If you are interested in CERT training, call Tom Snead at 936-4611 or go to www.citizencorps.gov/cert.

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