Training, training and more training…

Training, training and more training…

Preparation and certification are ‘ hot topics’ at September Fire Commission

meeting

news@theeveningtimes.com

Annual diversity instruction was front and center on a busy calendar of refresher training sessions at West Memphis Fire Department last month. Chief Wayne Gately and Assistant Chief Jeff Jones filled in the city council fire committee during its regular September session that took a look into the future of emergency communication.

The training requirements are so numerous some training is scheduled bi-annually.

“We have so much training you have to re-certify and it’s hard to fit it all into one year,” said Jones. “So we have to shuffle some things around.”

The EMT training for sixty fire fighters came courtesy of a local private ambulance company. Hudson Hallum’s Crittenden EMS underwrote the training for the WMFD and all paramedics in the surrounding area.

“We finished our EMT rectification for our entire department,” said Gately.

Diversity training was held at the end of July with an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission expert from Memphis schooling the entire department.

“Kevin Simms came and was really good for us,” said Gately. “I really like this guy because he doesn’t beat around the bush. He tells us what the federal law says, like it or not. He is a sharp retired military guy who lays it out there and our guys know how it is by the time he is finished.”

Two months of court ordered bi-racial committee minutes were reviewed.

There was no business in June or July and there have been no issues up for discussion in recent years. The meetings stem from a decision over racial hazing incident more than forty years ago. The empty bi-racial committee agendas along with strong diversity training demonstrate the focus is fixed at the WMFD.

“On the bi-racial committee meeting there is no old business or new business so that is always good in my eyes,” said Gately. “There are no problems.”

The committee heard about the statewide trend to unified dispatch. State emergency funds have forced consolidation in some smaller counties. Department leadership reported attending a meeting along with the city police, county sheriff and Marion to hear a representatives from Motorola and Craighead County where the move had already been made to one emergency communication umbrella.

“The state will only fund one per county,” reported Jones. “It’s based on population and they are trying to make cuts. We have two in our county. They feel its more efficient to fund just one. So we need to press forward and look into it.

We saw some good points and had some concerns. It will depend on who runs and how it is run. It needs to be on its own, with independent board.”

While nothing has been cued up for the same move concerning West Memphis, Gately had his ears open for a few key early concerns. The county is on analogue radios and West Memphis Police and Fire use a digital signal.

“We haven’t seen anything in writing,” said Gately. “I wouldn’t want anything to impact our ISO level 1 rating. A central dispatch would be more cost effective. Two years ago we just spent $360,000 of grant money on a whole new digital radio system. This something that may happen in two or three years.”

Gately also reported another month without a citizen complaint against the local fire service.

By John Rech