Volunteers put Perla Fire Department back in operation
Perla Fire Department is once again operational, thanks to the bravery, dedication and hard work of a small handful of dedicated volunteers.
Perla FD Fire Chief, Jimmy Evans, is making it happen with the help of Assistant Fire Chiefs David King and Chad Pilcher, and about a dozen other gracious volunteers.
“Our department is 100 percent volunteer,” King said, who actually lives in Grant County but is lending a hand in Perla because he is a longtime volunteer who knows better than most how great the need really is.
The Perla Fire Department was a vital asset to the community, but residents in the area have had to do without the station’s essential service for the last few years.
Perla FD served the people in its district and surrounding areas through emergency response actions of all varieties, from its first opening back in 1962 until bureaucratic and economic issues caused local officials to stop offering the service a few years ago.
That weight then fell to other fire departments in the area, such as stations in Glen Rose and Rockport, but seeing as they all work quite well and selflessly together to respond to every emergency call put before them, the lack of an established emergency response team at the Perla station may have gone unnoticed.
However, fire departments all around the county — state, and country, for that matter—can attest to the fact that there is a shortage of volunteers. The never-ending need for more brave souls willing to answer the call, plus an alarming 35 percent increase in 911 call volume in Hot Spring County over the last year, makes the demand for volunteer firefighters that much more urgent.
King serves with several other people who are coming to Perla to pitch in, both by volunteering and by providing essential equipment and auxiliary services. “We’ve got guys that came in from Grant County and Saline County,” King said. “I came on originally to just help on the administrative side, do the paperwork and all… i’m actually on another volunteer department in Grant County.”
Evans, King and Pilcher have about 55 years of firefighting experience between them. Their expertise has proven invaluable, as they and the other volunteers have undertaken the daunting task of resurrecting the Perla station.
“The department was completely boarded up, none of the trucks were running, the equipment had been scuttled off. But we had departments from all over the state, and even some from out of state have even helped donate gear and equipment,” he said.
When asked how the idea to get the Perla station up and running again came to fruition, King said, “Our chief was fire chief here about 15 years ago, and when he heard that it was closed down, he reached out to the mayor, and the Mayor said he was needing the help and all, so Chief came back and reopened it.”
King added, “They had a really good relationship back then, and it was just time. It needed the help, and [Evans] was wiling to do it.”
Home fires have declined slightly over the years, on average, but the types of calls firefighters answer have broadened in scope significantly to include responding to motor vehicle accidents, HAZMAT calls, medical assists, water rescues, downed trees, gas leaks, and search and rescue, to name a few.
“If somebody is bleeding, somebody is hurt, somebody’s wrecked, something’s destroyed, odds are we’re going to it, we go and we help,” King said, noting that they do not respond to calls that are primarily criminal in nature, like burglaries and such, unless someone is hurt at the scene.
The Perla station officially opened Jan. 27 of this year. King said they had not responded to a direct call in their area as of Feb. 6, but they did recently provide assistance on a call out of Grant County.
“Our department is fortunate to have a small area, so our call volume is not too crazy high, but some of these departments around us are running 300-500 calls a year,” King noted, adding that the downside to being a small district is having a smaller pool from which to recruit local volunteers.
Perla FD volunteers currently on board have been busy getting the station and equipment in order. They also
completed intensive training during a session involving multiple departments, an event made possible thanks to sponsorship from Mcclure Realty and Shelter Insurance. King said the volunteers will continue to go through weekly training and informational sessions throughout their time in service.
King said firefighters in Glen Rose and Rockport did an amazing job picking up the slack in the Perla station’s absence, and the Perla department is in a good position because of that, but the time is now for the Perla community to have their own station again.
Perla FD has 15 volunteers currently, but that number is not as comforting as it may sound because most of them have full-time jobs and families to attend to, and many of them would be coming from a great distance or not be able to respond at certain times of the day. In addition, King explained that even just one emergency response to something like a normal structure fire requires about 15 people on hand at one time to assist.
The department, just like all fire departments around Arkansas, needs more local volunteers. Being a volunteer firefighter isn’t easy, but it is vastly rewarding. It’s a great excuse to get out of the house every Monday, for one thing, and the lifesaving skills and camaraderie gained through this type of volunteer service will undoubtedly enhance the lives of those brave and selfless enough to say Yes to joining this incredible brotherhood.
And King pointed out that there are numerous ways to volunteer for the department aside from firefighting. They need people proficient in administration, public relations, clerical duties, and other skills.
“We have roles available for everything, from a mechanic, to an accountant, to a journalist,” King said.
“We are a nonprofit just like any other, we have the same business requirements behind closed doors.”
Whether they can persuade more people to assist their endeavor or not, King and the other volunteers who have committed to getting the Perla FD back into the swing of things will continue to serve, continue to train, and continue to be the heroes on the front lines for a community that has been reaching out for weeks now to voice their appreciation for the effort.
“I have had quite a response from the community, glad that we are back open, and a lot of people have actually reached out to us since the reopening and during the process of getting reopened,” King said, “and I’ve had a lot of support from the community wanting their fire department back.”
The Perla FD is located at 22675 Hwy 67, right beside the city’s administrative offices. For more information about volunteer opportunities and services available through the Perla Fire Department, please contact officials via email at admin@perlafd.com or come by the local station any Monday evening around 6 p.m. during their weekly first responder meetings. You can also call 501-249-8999, or contact King directly by calling 870-484-1241.