The Miller County Fire Association wants to continue to control their "own destiny" despite some changes proposed by County Judge Cathy Hardin Harrison.
Specifically, Hardin Harrison recently changed the fire administrator's title to that of fire chief and some association members are not pleased.
"Larry Pritchett is presently in charge of the fire departments in his current position of fire administrator. It became necessary to change his title to fire chief so he can sign off on grants," said Hardin Harrison, who took office on Jan. 1. The fire chief is appointed by and answers directly to the county judge.
George Goynes, Miller County Fire Association chairman, said the organization is "100 percent" against the appointment of Larry Pritchett because he was appointed by the county judge to "control the association."
"If it's not broke, don't try to fix it," Goynes said.
The county's fire association met March 3 to officially discuss their opposition.
"We would like to continue to control our own destiny. If there are situations that need to be addressed, we would like to be notified of these situations in writing to the association, so that we can address them by our association. We do not feel that the restructuring is in the best interest of the citizens of Miller County or the fire association," a document signed by most of the 10 fire association representatives listed states.
On Friday, Goynes said Pritchett is disliked, but the association is willing to work together and improve communications.
Specifically, Goynes is willing to compromise, work with the county judge and "get along" with Pritchett.
Pritchett declined comment on Friday.
"I'm not going to get involved and go back and forth. I will let the county judge address all matters to the Miller County Volunteer Fire Department," he said.
Hardin Harrison said there are several reasons she selected Pritchett as the fire chief.
Specifically, several of the county's VFD chiefs and some volunteers asked her to consider Pritchett, a retired Texarkana, Ark., Fire Department lieutenant, for the position.
Hardin Harrison said Pritchett is "more than qualified with his many years as a full-time firefighter supervisor and thousands of hours of training."
He has served as the county's Office of Emergency Management director and fire administrator under another county judge after retiring from the city, she said.
Pritchett is not paid as fire chief and no fire department funds will be used for his salary. Instead, Pritchett is paid from the OEM budget as OEM deputy director, she said.
However, Goynes said the county fire association understands the differences of fighting fires in the country than fighting fires in a city.
The training is different for fire control in the county than within city limits, he said.
"You have to go to your station and then go to the fire and take a tanker truck and have four to five firefighters help and go to the fire," Goynes said.
One of the major goals Hardin Harrison hopes to accomplish by appointing Pritchett as fire chief is improving transparency and accountability in the firefighting ranks, she said.
"The fire district chiefs have been accustomed to running their district without oversight and accountability from the county judge. As a result the ISO rating has remained a 9 for over 30 years," she said.
The ISO, also known as the Insurance Services Office, creates ratings for fire departments and their surrounding communities, she said.
"In the ISO rating scale, a lower number is better: 1 is the best possible rating, while a 10 means the fire department did not meet the ISO's minimum requirements," Hardin Harrison said.
To come up with the ratings, ISO evaluates three areas, according to Arkansas Fire Services.
n 50 percent of the score examines local fire departments, including staffing, training, geographic distribution of fire houses and adequacy of the fire department.
n 40 percent of the score takes into account the community's water supply, including the placement and condition of fire hydrants and the amount of water that's available to put out fires.
n 10 percent of the score measures the efficiency of emergency communications, such as the 911 system and the number of emergency dispatchers.
Goynes said the association is working to lower the ISO.
Hardin Harrison said the fire chief works for the county judge, who has statutory responsibility and authority over the volunteer fire departments.
"It is not feasible for the fire district chiefs to report directly to the county judge," she said.
As fire chief, Pritchett serves as fire department head over the nine fire district chiefs and the association. "The fire chief actually serves as coordinator for the nine districts ensuring the districts remain in compliance with state law on training, required paperwork," Hardin Harrison said.
She elaborated more on the VFD hierarchy, stating the fire chief is not responsible for the day-to-day operations of the fire districts.
"The district chiefs are responsible for that. However, the fire chief is responsible for seeing that the districts are compliant in following fire rules and regulations as well as both state and federal laws
"In my opinion, the fire departments have been autonomous in conducting fire business the way each individual chief determines. They have not had oversight and had the responsibility of answering to higher authority. This is a change and change is difficult for some, but in this case it is necessary," she said.
The fire association's letter states that in 2018 the VFDs worked 1,173 calls for service and kept all departments in the black.
"We have in excess of $531,000 in the Miller County Treasury," the letter reads.
Harding Harrison shared her own sentiments for a good working relationship with the VFDs.
"I respect, appreciate and support our volunteer firemen and chiefs. I will do everything under my control to provide them with the resources they need to do their jobs," she said.