Ashley County

FireWise Board

FireWise meeting was held at Ashley Courthouse Annex in Hamburg on May 27, 2008, to discuss Firewise Communities/USA process and Arkansas FireWise Mitigation Grants. 

Representing the Berlin Volunteer Fire Department were Bobby Linder, fire chief, and Shawn Bates, CTO/safety officer. The North Crossett and Milo Fire Departments were represented by Tima Menapace, firefighter; and Coordinator Jim Skender represented the Ashley County Emergency Management. The Arkansas Forestry Commission was represented by Joe Friend, District Forester, Jody Perritt Ashley County Ranger, and David Samuel, FireWise Coordinator.

Hamburg Mayor Gordon Hennington and Montrose Mayor Larry Coulter also attended the informational meeting.

Nine fire departments in Ashley County attended a Firewise meeting at the Crossett ExperimentStation on June 14, 2005.

Attendees included: West Crossett Volunteer Fire Department members Vaughn Barnes, fire chief; Phillip Sharp, captain; Gary Tyler, CTO; Chris Gill, captain; Phillip Sharp, captain; North Crossett Fire Department member Jeff Tyler, North Crossett fire chief; Crossett Fire Department members Donny Walker, captain; Jim Bryan, firefighter; Murelie Carter, firefighter; Deron Boykin, captain; Ted Frank, firefighter; Hamburg Fire Department members Steve Cypert, fire chief; Tom Hollis, captain; Jerry Breedlove, assistant chief; Unity-Frost Prairie Fire Department member Dan Kersey, assistant chief; Wilmot Fire & Rescue member Corliss McCain; Milo Fire Department member, Jerry Craig, fire chief; Parkdale Fire Department member Tommy Green, fire chief; Nadine Green; and Berlin Fire Department members Bobby Linden, fire chief; Shawn Bates, firefighter; Danny Smith, firefighter; Robert Smith, captain; Anthony Smith, firefighter; Dean Guffin, firefighter; Lee Holland, firefighter, and Carl Nowate, firefighter.

Representing the Arkansas Forestry Commission were Joe Friend, Jody Perritt, Stephanie Price, Kevin Kilcrease, Bobby Linden and David Samuel.

The two-hour meeting on June 14 consisted of an orientation to Firewise and the Firewise Communities/USA Recognition program, followed by risk assessment training.

After the June 2005 meeting, the Unity-Frost Prairie Fire Department invited the Arkansas FireWise team to help organize the Unity-Frost Prairie Firewise board on Sept. 26, 2005. Unity-Frost Prairie was recognized as a Firewise Community/USA during a recognitoin ceremony Dec. 14, 2006 at the Clinton Presidential Library.