Johnson County RFD #1 Receives Engine and Equipment from the Baystate Fraternal Order of Leather Shields

Our department has had the good fortune of having an engine and equipment donated to us by the Baystate Fraternal Order of Leather Shields (F.O.O.L.S.) from Massachusetts.

The firefighters came to Arkansas in August to participate in a Housing Ceremony and provide us with some incredible training, including vehicle extrication, pump ops, drafting, large diameter hose and much, much more. We are so grateful that they were able to come to Arkansas to participate in our ceremony.

Just a bit of information about a Housing Ceremony~ it is a traditional ceremony in the fire service from the time when fire trucks were pulled by horses and the apparatus had to be pushed into the bay after the horses were unhooked. The engine was then pushed into the station by the firefighters and community and demonstrated the efforts of everyone in bringing the new fire truck to the community and the hopes that the truck will stay in the station as much as possible.

Representatives from Governor Mike Beebe, Congressman John Boozman and Senator Pryor's office were also in attendance, along with our firefighters and members of the community.

Johnson County RFD #1 Fire Corps Place First at the Phi Beta Lambda National Leadership Conference in Chicago

Johnson County RFD #1 Fire Corps members comprised of students from the University of the Ozarks’ Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) organization in Clarksville, Arkansas, recently won first place in the Community Service competitive event at the PBL National Leadership Conference in Chicago, Illinois. Their Fire Corps project was selected from a field of 25 universities and colleges from across the United States.

Phi Beta Lambda is a national education association of students preparing for careers in business and business-related fields. Its mission is to bring business and education together in a positive working relationship through innovative leadership, career development, and community service programs.

Senior marketing major and RFD #1 Fire Corps Director, Kari Wood, from San Antonio, Texas led the Fire Corps effort to a first place in the PBL Community Service competition.

Fire Corps is a component of Citizen Corps, a national grassroots effort under the Department of Homeland Security to involve citizens in helping their communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to natural and man-made disasters and other emergencies.

Ozarks’ Fire Corps members assist Johnson County RFD #1 firefighters with a variety of efforts, including conducting fire safety education in the county, state and nation. PBL members participating in Fire Corps earn community service credit for their involvement with the program.

Fire Corps members promote fire safety to young children in schools within a two county area and to their peers on campus. Members have been instrumental in helping the department’s public fire and life safety educator reach millions of children and their caregivers nationwide with their fire safety efforts through the national media on FOX and Friends and PBS KIDS Sprout. Among the many fire safety related educational activities the students participate in include installing smoke alarms for residents in the community, co-sponsoring a Fire Safety Billboard and Calendar contest for local school children, and helping plan and implement the annual Fire Safety Awareness Parade and Kidsfest Safety Fair in which attendance doubled last year.

Since its involvement in spring of 2005, Fire Corps members have donated over 5,000 hours and participate in over 350 hours of fire safety education training annually. Their efforts, along with department’s firefighters, helped produce a 34 percent decrease in residential property loss for the department’s district.

Fire Corps members concentrate a majority of their time promoting Fire Corps and its benefits statewide and nationally. Members are also working to promote Fire Corps as a national FBLA-PBL community service project among 15,000 chapters across the US.

For more information on Johnson County RFD #1 Fire Corps program, visit the department’s website at http://www.rfd1.com/ or contact Dayna Hilton at daynark@gmail.com

Firefly the Fire Safety Clown to Make Debut at Health Fair

Firefly the Fire Safety Clown can not wait to make her debut at the Health Fair in Clarksville this coming Wednesday.

"Being a clown is oh so much fun, but being a Fire Safety Clown is even funner!" stated Firefly in a recent interview. "Teaching fire safety to boys and girls is oh so important, and I have been going to a special clown school to learn how to share important fire safety tips with the boys and girls in Johnson County. And, I'll tell you a secret! I am just as excited to share those tips with the grownups too!"

Come meet Firefly at the Health Fair at the Marvin Vinson Center on the 9th of May from 8:30-3:00. She can not wait to meet you!

News Release May 5, 2007

Johnson County RFD #1 Fire Corps Assists Arkansas Children’s Hospital with Camp Sunshine

CLARKSVILLE, AR. (May 4, 2007) -- The Johnson County Rural Fire District #1 Fire Corps (members of University of the Ozarks’ Phi Beta Lambda and Students in Free Enterprise organizations) will be volunteering at Camp Sunshine this August in order to support the Burn Center at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Camp Sunshine is an annual four-day summer camp held specifically for children who are burn survivors. The event provides the children with a unique opportunity to attend a summer camp without having to be concerned with their injuries or appearance. For four days, the children can focus solely on having fun.

Johnson County RFD #1 Fire Corps members will be involved in several ways at Camp Sunshine. The members will join with the children in playing games and participating in scheduled activities. Perhaps the biggest project Fire Corps is hoping to engage in would be to create a promotional video for the camp. Since most of the members are business, marketing, or communications majors, they have the skills necessary to execute the project.

After the Fire Corps group became aware of Camp Sunshine and its mission, Kari Wood, the Director, went to Little Rock to visit the Burn Center at Arkansas Children’s Hospital and learn more about how the two organizations could benefit each other. She met with the Nursing Director, Outreach Coordinator, and the Director of Camp Sunshine to discuss possible projects that Johnson County RFD #1 Fire Corps could assist the hospital and Burn Center in executing.
After her experience, Kari said, “I’m really excited about the possibilities open to us in helping Arkansas Children’s Hospital. Together, our organizations will make a great team and help a lot of people.”

Anyone who is interested in learning more about Camp Sunshine or the Burn Center can call or email Gretta Wilkinson at 501-364-1323 or wilkinsonge@archildrens.org.