Women’s History Month Spotlight: Debbie Holmes

An interview with the ‘Mama’ of the West Memphis Fire Dept.

By Don Wilburn

donaldfwilburnn@gmail.com

Throughout the month of March, The Evening Times has highlighted several prominent women in West Memphis and to round out International Women's Month we sat down with who many call “The mama of the West Memphis Fire Department,” Debbie Holmes. Holmes, whose name might sound families to some was the wife of WMFD Chief Mack Holmes who served as chief from 1987 to 1994 and had the first ladder truck the department ever acquired named after him.

He was also the Circulation editor for our very own Evening Times at one point. While speaking of her late husband, Debbie was quick to point out that it was during his tenure that the WMFD was upgraded from an ISO rating of 5 to a 3 (the West Memphis Fire Department now holds an ISO 1 rating). Holmes, who is originally from Wynne but moved to West Memphis at the age of four and graduated from West Memphis High School in 1968, says of her nickname “the Mama of the Fire Department” that is is because she “takes care of the boys and they take care of me.”

Debbie says she has “always liked to work” and before obtaining the position of secretary/assistant to the Fire Chief she worked for many years for Bell South and also with Mid-South Health Systems helping survivors of domestic abuse and until recently served on the board of Families in Transition until resigning after a family tragedy.

Current Fire Chief Barry Ealy says of Holmes “Miss Debbie has been the Nucleus to a smooth transition when this administration took office She's very knowledgeable of the administration operations.

She has played a big part in helping The department go from the kelly day work schedule to the 48/96 schedule. She's currently taking the leadership role in the non profit organization the Fire Department is forming. She's always there to make sure I have what I need to carry out the vision of the Fire Department.”

Debbie says while her official duties include making sure the Department runs smoothly with things like payroll and scheduling it's the unofficial benefits that make the job worthwhile.

“I retired a little over ten years ago but that was a mistake,” she says. “I like to be in the middle of things. I love the interaction, being in the mix, getting to know the firefighters, watching them grow, getting the knowledge and comfort and satisfaction of doing their job. Seeing them get better and better at what they do is a personal joy. I love to see when they get married, have children and seeing those children grown up There were guys here whose daddies worked with my husband.”

Debbie, who has two children, four grandchildren and a great grandchild on the way, also said that just as much as she takes care of the boys they take care of her as well as if they were her own sons, “They have fixed my car at times and even come by to get a possum or two out of the chimney.”

“The firefighters all call her 'Miss Debbie' and she calls them 'her kids'. She is the heart of the department, keeping up with and celebrating all our folks and their families' life accomplishments. If one word sums her up, it would be FAMILY. She cares deeply for her family and that caring spills over not just to us but to all of the civic causes she's been involved in serving the people of West Memphis and Crittenden County.” said Division Chief Robert Mabe of Holmes.

When asked if she has any plans to retire and she said, “I'm definitely not ready to go now. They are so good to me here. I'm a fire West Memphis Fire Department person and I am going to be that forever. The mayor

See HOLMES, page A3

Submitted Photo HOLMES

From page A1

we have now is very pro fire department and that hasn't always been the case around around here, I like my job and luckily I've never had a job I didn't like.”

As we finished up our chat with Debbie and got up to leave we had the chance to glimpse just a little bit of that famous “Mama” moniker Holmes has been given when, to celebrate a firefighter's birthday later in the day, she yelled out the door at Chief Mabe “Don't forget to pick up the cupcakes!' Indeed we should all be so lucky.