Brothers helping brothers...

[Guest JQP442]

=D> This is a recent news article from the journal news. It is nice to see that everyone in the county is still willing to help out brother (and sisters ) in need.

Firefighters answer a department's need

By ELIZABETH GANGA

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: May 8, 2004)

MILLWOOD — Fighting fires in Searcy County, Ark., in the Ozark Mountains is vastly different from here.

The 16-member fire department based in the small town of Witts Springs covers about 175 square miles and can expect backup from an ambulance corps to take at least a half-hour to arrive. To fight the brush fires which are often the reason for a call-out, members sometimes hike to the blaze with backpacks of gear and a small amount of water because the fires are inaccessible by truck.

"Our current pumper is a 1963 model," said Rod McNair, the training officer of the Witts Springs Volunteer Fire Department. "We don't even have all the hoses that are supposed to be on it."

That's why, when the Witts Springs department won the bid to buy a 1982 truck from the Millwood Fire District in New Castle, Millwood began collecting spare equipment from departments and companies around the region to send to Arkansas.

The gear — from protective clothing to breathing apparatus to radios to extrication equipment — will be presented to the department at a barbecue today at the Millwood firehouse. Until then, the Millwood firefighters struggled to keep all the extra supplies a secret from the seven members of the Witts Springs department who flew to New York on Thursday.

"It's turned out to be a Westchester County affair," with scattered additional donations from Putnam and Connecticut, said Jan Schwark, the first assistant chief of the Millwood Fire Department.

Witts Springs currently has only eight sets of protective clothing for its 16 firefighters. Its breathing apparatus dates from 1965 and is broken. It has five radios and is short hoses, nozzles and other basic equipment. The batteries in one of the department's trucks are dead and the brakes are shot on others.

The department's coverage area is about 90 percent national forest and the small communities have a total of about 250 structures, McNair said. The volunteers get about 25 calls a year, generally including one structure fire.

"All of this began to germinate the seeds in our mind as to how can we help these guys," said Bob Coulombe, a former captain of the Chappaqua Volunteer Ambulance Corps, which is donating a spare car that will be used for the fire chief or for medical calls.

One piece of donated equipment, which was high on the Witts Springs department's wish list, was a rescue tool for extricating victims from crashed vehicles. Twice in the past year, the department responded to car accidents in which a person was trapped, one case involving a Witts Springs firefighter who died. The nearest extrication tool is about 45 minutes away, and in the second accident the firefighters could only keep the fire under control while they waited for the equipment.

Millwood had Witts Springs' new truck stenciled in honor of the fallen firefighter. Underneath "Witts Springs Fire Company No. 1," it reads "In Memory of Margie "Suzy" Arter."

Yesterday, before heading into New York City to do a little sightseeing, some Millwood firefighters showed their Arkansas counterparts how to use the pumper to draw water from a lake in Gedney Park and tap into a fire hydrant.

"I still think I'm in a dream," said McNair, who came on the trip with his wife, Melissa McNair, also a firefighter. "I ain't woke up yet."

McNair said the truck left him speechless. Comparing it to their current pumper, he held out one hand, "go cart," then the other, "Rolls-Royce."

"I'm looking forward to going home and seeing everyone's face when we pull up in that truck," said Tonya Garmoe, a firefighter who also is a nursing aide and the owner of a small dog kennel.

The truck, which they will drive back to Arkansas, will be back in time to be a centerpiece in the parade at Witts Springs' 17th annual Hillbilly Daze festival later this month.

Reach Elizabeth Ganga at eganga@thejournalnews.com or 914-666-6482.Reach Elizabeth Ganga at eganga@thejournalnews.com or 914-666-6482.

[WAS967 97]

The Siren was also modified so that "yelp" "wail" and "phaser" were replaced with "banjo" "bluegrass" and "git outta ma way!"

[Guest DG795]

This was an excellent event, and all involved left with a new sense of pride. a pat on the back to all the dept's that took time to donate, and especially to the Millwood Fire Company for all their hard work, organization, and spearheading the operation. Good work to the journal news for seeing this event as "newsworthy" and reporting on such a positive story!

[x635 4,066]

Did New 12 cover this event at all? I don't remember seeing it.

Definetly a great cause. It's also kind of a reminder of how much we have, sometimes excess in this county, equipmentwise....and how little some departments in rural areas actually have. It's good to see this equipment was put to good use instead of being left in a back room until somebody decides to throw it away.

I was interested a few months back in organizing a drive, I am still looking to do something at some point if anyone is interested. I think it would be cool to do something on the EMS side as well.

WAS967, lol!

[LFD171 0]

They had a photo in the following day's paper of the Arkansas FF's meeting Bill Clinton in Chappaqua

[Truck4 48]

The Journal news followed the story for two days. Check out the photo galleries for Sat/Sun for photos.

News 12 did not know about it. If they did, they would have been there. Always on top of things.....

[mikeinet 37]

Actually, I heard word that News12 *did* know about it and was supposed to be there and backed out at the last minute.

It was good to see the Journal News write something NICE about Millwood and Firefighting in general... seems everything about Millwood has been negative lately - about time someone woke up! =D>

[TR54 239]

Good Job Millwood Fire Co. !

and for those depts that donated Firefighting items

Two Thumbs UP =D> =D>

I heard word that News12 *did* know about it and was supposed to be there and backed out at the last minute. 

News 12 was informed , then again it is still never to late , they could report the apparatus has now arrived in Searcy County ArK.

[FF402 133]

News 12 also did not cover Greenburgh UFA's (The Fairview/Greenville/Hartsdale) Unions donation of a fire pole and cash to the new Westcheser Childrens Hospital, nor the blood drive for Jimmy Arena Jr.

They did cover a Mohegan FF going to Iraq twice though.

[mikeinet 37]

Pictures from the event are online at http://www.millwoodfire.org & http://www.millwoodfire.org/images/witts-springs

[Remember585 815]

Millwood is one of the most generous outfits in this County, hands down.

When we had the accident with Tanker 10, they came out to make sure everyone was alright. Then they offered us E248 to use in T10's absence. And when they were told we would be down a tanker for an unknown length of time, they started to listen a little more to the radio in case we need them, they're always willing to help!

I don't find this story amazing, I actually have come to expect this kind of behavior from the guys in Millwood. They set an example for many others out there.

A+ brothers!!!! =D> =D> =D>

[WAS967 97]

Now if they could only find a good place for thier new fire house. Any word on the land deal that is going on over there? Last I heard they were trying to get the land from the lumber yard under eminent domain, but the owner is (understandably) fighting the move.

[mikeinet 37]

Last that I heard is that nothing has changed since all the media banzi hit the FD.