Fire department to celebrate 50th anniversary

The Bella Vista Fire Department plans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of fire service in Bella Vista with an open house from noon to 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20.

The department will be serving burgers and hot dogs until 2 p.m. and the event will feature equipment demonstrations, information on fire department services, fire extinguisher training, an obstacle course for kids and community classes on stopping bleeding and CPR.

The Bella Vista Fire Department was initially established in 1969 and the first fire station was completed in May 1970.

Fire Chief Steve Sims said he’s been with the department for nearly half of that history, sitting on 24-anda-half years of service after starting in 1995.

“It wasn’t that big … we’ve grown a lot through the years,” he said, noting a typical shift had a captain, a lieutenant and three firefighters with at least one paramedic.

That staffing is less than Station 1 needs today, he said.

Sims said he’s excited for the anniversary celebration and he’s looking forward to seeing the community and showing off his department and its history.

“There’ll be tons to do out here,” he said.

Sims said he appreciated some help from Allen’s grocery store and Cooper Communities as well.

Deputy Chief Bryan Wolfgang said he’s eager for the event but he appreciates everything the community has done leading up to it.

Without Bella Vista prioritizing its fire department, he said, the department would not have been able to grow the way it has over the past half century.

“We’re grateful for the community backing us,” he said.

Photo originally published in the November 1969 issue of the Village Vista Steve Marquess (left), Billy Delbert Cochran, Don Grisham, John Riordan, C.F. Bentley, Sam Fuller, Charles Short and Charles Crabtree stop to pose for a photo while inspecting the initial groundbreaking work at the site that currently hosts Fire Station 1, the Bella Vista Police Department and city hall.