Legislature recommends $5.9 million for Fire Academy

LITTLE ROCK – A subcommittee of the Legislative Council recommended almost $5.9 million in funding for the Arkansas Fire Training Academy, the primary training ground for firefighters from across the state.

Southern Arkansas University Tech at Camden made the funding request, which would pay for needed repairs to the administration building. The HVAC is old and doesn’t work well, so the air inside the building is constantly musty and humid, and may be causing students and staff to have allergy issues due to mold, according to documents provided by SAU Tech in its funding request.

The building was constructed in 2004 and has been through a tornado. The carpeting is original, and has been wet. It has a dingy, rancid and unclean feel. Also, the building has issues with mice, rats and snakes, according to the request.

The academy also will get two new fire trucks. One truck will be used at the satellite campus in Jonesboro to replace a 1996 model. Firefighters who attend training at the campus are often asked to bring equipment with them from their home department, so they can undergo training in reliable vehicles. It will cost about $500,000.

The new truck at the Camden campus will replace a 2003 model. It will cost about $700,000 because it is built on a custom chassis. Like the new truck for the Jonesboro campus, this model is prevalent among fire departments in Arkansas.

The operation of the Camden model is drastically different than that of the Jonesboro model. Firefighters need to be trained in the operation of both, according to the SAU Tech request.

The legislative subcommittee also recommended funding for an ambulance for training at the academy. The current ambulance has been out of service for more than 120 days. Students still receive training in emergency medical treatment, but a classroom setting cannot duplicate the same environment as being in the back of a vehicle moving rapidly down the road.

The largest component of the funding request was $4.05 million for an Emergency Services Medical Training Building. It actually would be a series of facilities to include classrooms and simulation laboratories. To demonstrate the need for new space, the academy noted that recently its cardiopulmonary resuscitation training has taken place in the dining room.

The funding would pay for a restroom on the drill field. Now firefighters who’ve gotten dirty during training exercises must use the restrooms in the administration building.

The funding request was reviewed and recommended by the Legislative Council’s Subcommittee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review. Due to the length of its name, it is always referred to as the PEER committee.

Its duties and its purview make PEER one of the most influential of legislative committees. Under the state Constitution, the legislature has the sole power to approve spending tax revenue. PEER has the authority to review fiscal operations of state agencies to ensure accountability and efficiency.

The $5.9 million for the Fire Training Academy was part of about $1.57 billion in federal funds that Arkansas received in the 2021 American Rescue Plan. The PEER committee has been reviewing applications and making recommendations, which are later considered by the full Legislative Council.

Editor’s note: Sen. Joshua Bryant represents District 32 in Arkansas. He and his family live in Rogers. He serves on the Committee of Education and the committee on City, County and Local Affairs.