Fire department to take on emergency management duties

Battalion Chief Smith to take the helm next year; office will be a liaison to county agency

Texarkana, Ark., Fire Department is seen in December 2015.
Texarkana, Ark., Fire Department is seen in December 2015.

Texarkana, Ark., Fire Department will assume the city's emergency management duties beginning next year, according to Mayor Ruth Penney Bell.

The TAFD emergency management office will be headed by Battalion Chief Bill Smith.

Smith is also responsible for the fire department landing a more than $285,000 grant to replace old communication equipment and get mobile terminals in fire trucks.

The emergency management office will serve as a liaison to the Miller County Office of Emergency Management and will be the primary point of contact within the city for emergency management issues, said TAFD Chief David Fletcher.

"The county is the one we go through for state or federal aid. This is just to make sure the city is taken care of and that our emergency plans are up to date," Fletcher said.

Bell said she and city staff work hard every day in trying to provide a safe place for people to work, live and play. Since former emergency management coordinator Dave Hall died in 2012, the city has not had a point person nor any guidelines/protocols in place for emergency/disaster relief efforts.

Penney Bell said recent natural disasters prompted city officials to get a plan in order.

"We just thought it was a good thing to do. We see how Mother Nature can be and we thought it would be smart to be prepared and get ahead of anything that could happen here," she said. "That's what the citizens vote us in to do."

Other duties of this office will include the following:

  • Keeping the Board of Directors and city manager apprised of the City's preparedness status and emergency management needs.
  • Updating and maintaining the City's Emergency Management Plan.
  • Arranging appropriate training for emergency responders.
  • Coordinating periodic emergency exercises to test our plan and training.

Fletcher said Smith will attend some training in Maryland before the end of this year.

Also on Friday, Fletcher announced the department has received a $285,346 grant to replace all aging radios, install mobile data terminals in its fire trucks and add a mobile repeater in its command vehicle.

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