CRITTENDEN COUNTY, AR - The Fire Chief in Marion, Arkansas, says his department is doing more than its fair share. He says going to fight fires in surrounding cities is costing them big, and Marion's neighbors need to pay-up. The way he's proposing they do that, however, is meeting a lot of resistance from some mayors in Crittenden County.
Chief Woody Wheeless says, every time they roll out their expensive equipment to cities outside their jurisdiction, factor in the cost of manpower, and it costs them about $1,000. He's asking to get compensated.
Arkansas takes part of the money it receives from insurance premiums and gives it to counties for emergency services. In Crittenden County, it's divided among several cities, but others don't qualify and that money sits unused.
"I'd like to see them come together and maybe exclude the cities that don't have active fire departments,” Wheeless said. “Which would, in turn, give more money to the fire departments that are active."
Chief Wheeless says his department is called to respond to fires in surrounding cities like Sunset and Jericho, because their departments don't have staff or equipment to do the job. Wheeless says it can't continue.
"We want to help everybody,” he said. “But we're no different from the state or federal government. We have money issues just like everybody else does."
About $170,000 of this state money sits unclaimed in Crittenden County because there are cities that don't qualify to collect it and haven't for years. If it sits there much longer, Wheeless is afraid the state will take it away.
Chief Wheeless says the mayor of Sunset agreed to give Marion 75% of it's money, but the rules say it's all or nothing.
"I'm not sitting here trying to hurt any fire department in this county,” Wheeless said. “But, bottom line is, if you're not doing what you're supposed to be doing, you shouldn't be rewarded or money shouldn't be hanging out there that you don't have access to that other departments could use."
The Chief says what he'd really like is for each of these fire departments to stand alone and then never have to leave their city limits, but that's not likely to happen any time soon.
In some counties in Arkansas, like Dallas County, any money that goes unclaimed by the end of the year is divided equally among the qualifying departments. The Marion Fire Chief says he recommends Crittenden County do the same.
