Oak Grove Fire Department
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The Oak Grove, Arkansas Fire Department is a volunteer fire department located between North Little Rock and Maumelle in Pulaski County, Arkansas. The Department was originally chartered as Fire District 25 of Pulaski County in 1998. The Oak Grove Fire Department consists of five governing board members, a fire chief, an assistant fire chief, three captains, three Lieutenants, and approximately 30 firefighters. The Department has mutual aid agreements with the North Little Rock Fire Department, Maumelle Fire Department, and the Camp Robinson Army National Guard Fire Department.
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[edit] District and Demographic
The Oak Grove Fire Department's District covers most of the County's lands in the North West Section of Pulaski County. The District is traversed entirely by both Interstate 40 and Arkansas State Highway 365, which is better known as MacArthur Drive. The District includes several smaller geographic regions such as: Crystal Hill, Marche, Morgan, Palarm, and Blue Hill. A vast majority of residents in these areas are served by fire hydrants, however those that are not rely on the Fire Department's two Tanker Trucks for water. There are also several "dry hydrants" located in the area. These hydrants are typically found near man-made or natural water sources.
Although the average age of residents in the area is 30 or above, there is a strong population of local teenagers and children. The majority of homes are mobile homes or other non-permanent structures. The Fire Department serves two schools, the Oak Grove High/Middle School, and the Oak Grove Elementary School. There are also several very large businesses located in the District. Custom Aircraft Cabinets, a designer and builder of aircraft interior components, is located on Firestone Lane, off of Marche Road in the Marche Area. Also, Oak Grove serves two hotels located near Interstate 40 in Morgan. North of Morgan in the Palarm Area the demographic is more African-American than other parts.
[edit] Stations and Apparatus
The Oak Grove Fire Department has three fire stations located geographically separate from each other spanning the entire length of the District.
Station 1 is located at the intersection of MacArthur Drive (HWY 365) and Oak Grove Road in the Crystal Hill Area. It is the oldest of the three and used to be the only station. Station 1 is a converted Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office and County Garage facility. It originally had two bay areas, an office and bathroom. However, since the Fire Department has held the property an additional bay has been added, as well as another office, which is currently being used as a dayroom.
Station 2 is located at the intersection of MacArthur Drive (HWY 365) and Shady Lane in the Morgan Area. Station 2 was built in 1982 after the Department's Board Members realized the need to expand their coverage and reduce their response times. This building was originally constructed with three bay areas and one bathroom. In 2004 Chief Pogue decided to add three more bays and convert two of the bay areas into an office and training room. Another bathroom was also installed.
Station 3 is located at the intersection of Arkansas Highway 365 North and Orbit Lane in the Palarm Area. It's construction began in mid-2005 and is yet to be completed. The Department began to occupy it's four bay areas in late-2005, however, interior construction is not finished.
The Fire Department has a total of 11 vehicles ranging from brush trucks to water tankers.
- Engine 1 is a six-man, 750-gallon tank, walk through pump panel, cab-over Smeal purchased in 2002. On it you can find two attack lines, a high-pressure booster line, 300 feet of five-inch supply line, and all appropriate hand tools and ladders
- Service Truck 1 (also referred to as Rescue 1), is a 1998 Chevy 3500 converted to carry a fully enclosed utility bed. This truck carries three personnel, one of two air cascade systems used to refill firefighter's air tanks, a full set of extrication equipment, ventilation fans, generators, lighting units, and salvage and overhaul tools. It is also equipped with all equipment appropriate for medical response.
- Brush Truck 1 is a 1978 Ford F-350 single-cab pickup truck capable of carying three personnel. It is equipped with a 250-gallon tank, a 150-gpm pump, attack line, and a winch. It has manual locking four-wheel drive capabilities.
- Engine 2 is a 2000 Firemaster Engine with a 1000-gallon tank, walk-through pump panel, and 1200 feet of five-inch supply line. Engine 2 can carry up to three personnel. It also carries an assortment of hand tools and ladders.
- Tanker 2, a recent addition to the station, is a 1989 Chevy "Top Kick" cab tanker that is capable of carrying three personnel and 3000 gallons of water. It is also equipped with a 3000-gallon dump tank, and 150-gpm pump.
- Service Truck 3 (also known as Rescue 3) has recently undergone some major changes and is not quite finished yet. Originally a three-man, ambulance-style 1998 Chevy, it has very recently been converted to a utility bed capable of carrying a wide variety of large and small items. On it you can find a full set of medical equipment, salvage equipment, a four-bottle cascade system, and more.
- Brush Truck 2 is a 1995 US Army surplus Chevy single-cab pickup truck. It is equipped with a 250-gallon tank, 150-gpm pump, attack line, hand rakes, and Indian-Packs. It also seats three.
- Engine 3 is a 1974 Mack Truck purchased from Willingboro, New Jersey. This truck can seat three and is home to a 750-gallon tank, traditional side-mount pump panel, two attack lines, and 1200 feet of 2 1/2-inch supply line. The truck is scheduled to be upgraded to five-inch supply line in the next few months. As a show of respect for their brothers in New Jersey, the front of the engine still bears the mark of "Willingboro, NJ".
- Tanker 3 is a twin to Tanker 2. Tanker 3 carries much the same equipment as Tanker 2, only it does not have a pump.
- Service Truck 2 (affectionately known as "The Green Machine" or "The Grasshopper" because of it's Green paint job) is a 1998 Chevy Quad-Cab pickup truck capable of responding with six personnel. It boasts the most robust variety of equipment in the entire department. It's equipment includes extrication, salvage, overhaul, ventilation, medical, support, triage, lighting, and rope gear as well as many other items.
- Command 1 Is a 1997 Mercury Mountaineer all wheel drive SUV that is used by the fire chief; it carries a virety of small hand tools as well as many other items.
[edit] Personnel
As mentioned above, all positions on the Oak Grove Fire Department are volunteer, to include the Board Members, and all Officers. All of the Firefighters must pass a thorough background investigation, interview, and acceptance process before being admitted to the Department. After acceptance, they are assigned to a station (typically the closest geographically although there are exceptions) on a probationary basis. After successfully serving a six-month probationary period, the member must accrue a majority vote of all active Firefighters in order to remain a member. The Firefighters consider many factors to include: performance in training and classes, performance on duty, conduct off-duty, attitude, abilities, and ability to devote time to the Department. If the member does not have the required number of votes, the member is terminated.
Currently there are approximately 30 Firefighters, approximately 15 assigned to Station 1, 10 assigned to Station 2, and 5 assigned to Station 3. These numbers do not reflect the Chief and Assistant Chief, whom are not assigned to Stations.
Board Members are elected by the community through the authority of the Quorum Court of Pulaski County. Officers are appointed by the Fire Chief.
[edit] Activities
The Fire Department is constantly active with other administrative work. There are training meetings held on a weekly basis, of which a member must attend at least 70% in one year. At these meetings Firefighters train both in class and out on topics such as fire attack, tanker operations, helicopter landing zone set-up, medical response, vehicle driving, wild land fire suppression, and many more.
In addition to holding weekly training, the Fire Department conducts several fundraisers throughout the year. In February they sponsor a pancake supper, which is open to all residents. In September, they host a community picture drive, in which residents buy vouchers to have family pictures taken in a local studio. In October they hold their annual Haunted House. All profits from these events are deposited into a fund, which directly benefits the Firefighters.
