|
|
| 2004 Headlines | |
| News
Archives: 2011 | 2010 |
2009 | 2008 |
2007 | 2006 |
2005 | 2004 |
2003 12.20.04 - Council passes ordinance to officially split DPS 12.05.04 - Maumelle Fire-Rescue exceeds 2003 run total 11.01.04 - Public Safety Officer killed in accident 10.13.04 - I-40 Restaurant heavily damaged by fire 10.06.04 - Bravest battle fire in high-rise retirement home 09.07.04 - MFD, MedFlight respond to Haley Heights shooting 08.28.04 - Department awarded FIRE Act grant of $139,385 07.24.04 - Captain positions created; filled by three veterans 07.14.04 - Five new firefighters on board this week 06.23.04 - KTHV reports on efforts to split Dept. of Public Safety 06.05.04 - One extricated from weekend I-40 accident 05.22.04 - Firefighters make good stop in apartment building fire 04.22.04 - Charter School students join public safety for day 03.26.04 - Maumelle Fire-Rescue extricates motocyclist from fence 02.10.04 - Maumelle firefighters drop signs, battle condo fire 01.12.04 - Maumelle Fire-Rescue awarded prevention grant |
|
|
|
|
| 12.20.04: Council passes ordinance to officially split DPSS Maumelle is home to the state's newest fire department. Tuesday night, the Maumelle City Council passed Ordinance 540 with each of the six council members present voting for the measure. The ordinance officially abolishes the Department of Public Safety and the position of Public Safety Director. In its place, it creates separate fire and police departments, each with their own chief. Following passage of the ordinance, the council also passed an emergency clause stating "there is an immediate need to go forward with this division in order that the necessary municipal services may be provided the citizens of Maumelle." The emergency clause allowed the ordinance to go into effect immediately. Maumelle utilized a Department of Public Safety to provide fire, EMS and law enforcement services since before its incorporation as a city in 1985. Until recently, the department maintained a small staff in the fire division while relying heavily on public safety officers -- police officers cross-trained as firefighters -- for fire suppression and EMS duties. Earlier this year, Maumelle residents passed the city's first-ever sales tax. Revenue from the tax allowed the fire division to expand to 12 career firefighters -- three times as many personnel than were employed just three years ago. The new Maumelle Fire Department operates from one station with a fire chief, 12 career firefighters and 19 volunteer firefighters. To meet the needs of the city, which is adding an estimated 1,000 citizens a year, the department plans to add an additional 12 career firefighters and construct two new stations in the next six years. Click here for a comprehensive history of the fire department. |
|
|
|
|
| 12.05.04: Maumelle Fire-Rescue exceeds 2003 run total When Maumelle firefighters were dispatched Nov. 24 to rescue the trapped occupant of an elevator in a local hotel, it marked the 712th time this year that Maumelle Fire-Rescue responded to a call for help. With that run, the fire division of the Maumelle Dept. of Public Safety surpassed it's previous record of 711 requests for service in a calendar year. As the city of Maumelle grows in population, firefighters have seen a correlating increase in the number of calls they must respond to each year. The fire division answered 509 calls in 2001, 578 in 2002 & 711 in 2003. The city had a population of 10,557 in 2000. An estimated 14,000 now call Maumelle home. Through December 5, firefighters had handled 737 requests for service ranging from structure fires to medical emergencies to investigating potentially dangerous odors. In the process, the fire division set new records for the number of responses to medical emergencies, traumatic injuries and motor vehicle accidents. |
|
|
|
|
| 11.01.04: Public Safety Officer killed in vehicle accident (Arkansas Democrat Gazette) A Maumelle (public safety) officer was killed Sunday morning when he drove his car off Arkansas 107 in Sherwood and struck a utility pole, police said. Sgt. Rod Dyer had just completed a 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift and was headed to his home in Sherwood in his car when the accident happened, Maumelle Police Chief Sam Williams said. Dyer appeared to have lost control of his car at about 7:30 a.m. on a curve just north of North Hills Boulevard, Sherwood police Lt. Dan Kerr said. The car ran off the left side of the road and struck a pole, Kerr said. Police were investigating what caused Dyer to lose control, Kerr said. Dyer, a 36-year-old patrol supervisor, had been with the police department since 1997. Williams said he and other representatives from the department spent Sunday with Dyer's family to offer support. "They're going to miss him real bad," Williams said. "We all are. Rod was one of those kind of people." |
|
|
|
|
10.15.04: A fire Oct. 15 heavily damaged the I-40 Family Restaurant on Hwy. 365 in the Morgan area of Maumelle. Firefighters found heavy smoke on arrival and, once inside, discovered fire throughout the kitchen attic space. Companies from North Little Rock and Oak Grove were requested for mutual aid and were of great assistance in extinguishing the fire. October 15 fire heavily damages restaurant Even before Maumelle fire and public safety units arrived on scene Friday night (Oct. 15) to investigate a report of a possible structure fire, they could see the heavy smoke pouring out of the I-40 Family Restaurant at 20705 Hwy. 365. Shortly after Maumelle's Engine 1 arrival on scene at 9:55 pm, fire broke through the roof in the rear of the structure. The first crew of firefighters inside found that fire had extended into the attic space above the kitchen area and was running the entire width of the restaurant. The incident grew quickly as additional engine companies were requested from the North Little Rock and Oak Grove Fire Departments to assist Maumelle firefighters on scene. North Little Rock sent Engine Company 8. Oak Grove sent Engines 1, 2, 3 & 4 and their air unit. With the help of the mutual aid agencies, firefighters mounted an aggressive interior attack as crews pulled down ceilings and opened up walls to extinguish the fire and stop further extension. Fire damage was mostly contained to a wood-frame addition in the rear of the building that contained the kitchen & restrooms, both of which were heavily damaged. The remainder of the structure suffered smoke and water damage. The restaurant was closed and unoccupied at the time of the fire and no injuries to civilians or firefighters were reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. |
|
|
|
|
10.06.04: A fire on the fifth floor of the Audubon Pointe Retirement Community Wednesday damaged one apartment and forced the evacuation of the main building's residents. One resident was transported to a Little Rock hospital with burns. Bravest battle fire in high-rise retirement home Eight times this year, Maumelle firefighters have responded to the Audubon Pointe Retirement Community for a report of a fire alarm. The first seven were all false. However, when firefighters arrived to investigate an alarm yesterday, they found smoke showing from a fifth-floor apartment and some residents perched at their windows looking for clean air to breathe. Immediately, additional engine companies were requested from the North Little Rock Fire Department to assist the two Maumelle firefighters and five public safety officers on the initial response. Firefighters quickly made their way to the fifth floor, where they contained the fire to the apartment it originated in. Crews also conducted room-to-room searches of all apartments on the smoke-filled fifth floor to insure all residents escaped safely. Firefighters assisted dozens of occupants to safety down the building's stairways as nearly all of the building's 164 apartments were evacuated. Firefighters also helped locate several pets that had gone missing during the fire and aftermath. Two residents required treatment by Metropolitan Emergency Medical Services (MEMS) personnel. One resident was transported to a Little Rock hospital with burn injuries. No firefighters were injured. In all, Maumelle's Engine 1, Truck 1 & Brush 1 responded to the fire with assistance from North Little Rock Engines 4 & 8 and a single engine company from the Oak Grove Volunteer Fire Department. Maumelle personnel on scene included two on-duty firefighters, five public safety officers, nine volunteer firefighters and Fire Chief George Glenn. The fire remains under investigation. |
|
|
|
|
9.07.04: Rescue workers, including Capt. Eugene Stacy (far left) and Engineer Perry Hopman (far right), rush a gunshot victim to a MedFlight helicopter Tuesday afternoon. [Photo by David Hoge] MFD, MedFlight respond to Haley Heights shooting Maumelle firefighters were dispatched to a medical emergency Tuesday, Sept. 7 at Haley Heights Cove. When Engine 1 arrived on scene, they instead discovered a victim of an apparent shooting. In all, Chief 501, two members of the volunteer division, two MEMS ambulances and all available police officers responded to the incident. The patient was airlifted by MedFlight to a Little Rock hospital. This was MedFlight's third trauma response to Maumelle this year. The incident remains under investigation by Maumelle police. |
|
|
|
|
| 8.28.04: Department awarded FIRE Act grant of $139,385 Maumelle Fire-Rescue was among 11 fire departments in Arkansas and 271 nationally go be awarded a grant in the 13th round of the 2004 Assistance to Firefighters Grant program. The department was awarded $139,385 for operations & firefighter safety. Fire Chief George Glenn says that the money will be used to purchase 20 new SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus) air packs, spare cylinders for those packs, SCBA facepieces for each firefighter on the department and a mobile air compressor/cascade fill system. |
|
|
|
|
| 7.24.04: Captain positions created; filled by three veterans Maumelle Fire-Rescue completed a significant step towards establishing a separate fire department July 24 when three engineers filled the first-ever career captains positions. Eugene Stacy, Drew Nichols & Tim Bullard successfully passed the required civil service tests & interviews earlier this year to qualify for the positions. The position is the equivalent to a sergeant in the DPS's patrol division. Until now, all fire division employees -- regardless of seniority -- answered to the the highest ranking member of the patrol division on duty at the time. Each new captain will supervise one of Maumelle Fire-Rescue's three shifts and will act as incident commander on fire & rescue incidents. Captain Stacy brings nearly 20 years of experience to the post. He is the only member of the fire division that worked for the Department of Public Safety when both police & fire employees were peace officers. He maintains his law enforcement certification. Captain Nichols has been a member of the division since July 1996. Among Nichols' current responsibilities is coordination of annual fire inspections of all businesses, industrial, assembly & educational occupancies. He also shares instructor duties in the department's CPR training program. Captain Bullard joined the department in October 1998. He served as a relief engineer for five years, filling vacancies when the lone assigned member of each shift took leave time. He handles many of the division's public education duties, including the SurvivalKids program, and is also a CPR instructor.
|
|
|
|
|
| 7.14.04: Five new firefighters on board this week By Jeremy Glover - Maumelle Monitor Five new firefighters arrived on board Monday, and with their arrival, the Maumelle Fire Department has taken the first, critical step toward separating complete from the Maumelle Police Department. Fire Chief George Glenn says he is very anxious for the new recruits to join the staff so the actual division of the Department of Public Safety can happen. "The split of the department makes sense for the community because it allows us both to serve the community better and deliver high quality service," he said. But Engineer Drew Nichols, an eight-year veteran of the department, noted that 12 firefighters are needed to make that split, and with seven there now, the new firefighters will bring the force to exactly 12. "I've been looking forward to it for eight years," he said. "It means being able to stand on our own two feet." Meanwhile, Glenn said the city hopes to break ground in a year on two new fire stations, one at the north end of Maumelle Boulevard and one at the south. It also expects to hire five more firefighters at about $23,000 a year -- possibly even some women, missing from the department now. The five new recruits include Adam Swalls, 21, of Maumelle, who has been a dispatcher at DPS for 2.5 years. He said he looks forward to advancing his career and serving a community he knows. Another new hire is David Park, 23, of Mabelville, who said the main reason he chose this line of work was that he likes to help people. North Little Rock native Scott Eaton, 26, said he enjoys the adrenaline rush of fighting fires, comparing it to feeling like a little kid again. And he said he chose to apply to the Maumelle department because he likes teh sense of community here. "I like the small town, it seems to be more community oriented," Eaton said. "This department seems to want to help the community more than other places." Shane Holmes, 28, had volunteered for a couple of years in Malvern and said he really liked the work. "I just enjoy helping people and the rush of doing the job," he said. Josh Woods, 24, of Centerton, a second generation firefighter, said growing up around a father in the field just made him want to do this kind of work. Meanwhile the significance of joining the department just as a separate fire department is being established has not been lost on any of these guys. "It's cool to know that we were part of the first group to do this," Eaton said. Swalls called it a landmark. "[And I'm] definitely excited to be a part of that," he said. After two weeks of orientation, the new firefighters will leave Monday, July 26 for 12 weeks of EMT and fire training in Camden. They return October 15 and will spend a couple of weeks of orientation with the equipment and getting assigned to shifts. "From November toward the end of the year we can split into our own department, separate from DPS," Nichols said. "It means everything right now. The city deserves the highest level of protection it can get." |
|
|
|
|
| 6.23.04: KTHV reports on efforts to split Dept. of Public Safety Reporter Liz Massey and photographer Chris Whiteseide of CBS affiliate KTHV-11 spent time with the Maumelle Department of Public Safety Wednesday, June 23. KTHV aired a report, which featured a live shot from in front of the fire station, about the ongoing efforts to split the DPS. While at the department, Massey & Whiteside had the opportunity to see Maumelle's public safety professionals in action as they responded to a motor vehicle accident with Lt. Jim Hansard. Maumelle sales tax benefits police, fire and residents By Liz Massey - todaysthv.com Maumelle is experiencing growing pains and that means fire and police are sometimes being stretched too thin. Right now, both agencies are divisions under the Department of Public Safety. For example, if there's a fire emergency and firefighters need help, police pull double duty. That's right, the city's police officers are also certified firefighters and they carry their firefighters gear in the back of their patrol vehicles. Lt. Jim Hansard says, when officers work a fire, they're taken off the streets and that's not a good idea. "You got people in a fire, who have to get undressed, take off their fire hat put on a police hat, gun belt and then go to the scene, you're talking about a 10 minute response and that's dangerous," says Hansard. That's why he says it's so important for the police and fire departments to separate. Fire Chief George Glenn agrees. Glenn says the one-cent sales tax passed by citizens in February will help them move towards that. Glenn says it's expected to generate between $600,000 to $1,000,000. A big part of that he says will go to public safety. Glenn says right now they're in the process of hiring five new full-time firefighters. "It is not uncommon anymore to have simultaneous calls of different types, we have to have resources in order to respond quickly to meet our citizens needs," says Glenn. Both Glenn and Hansard say both departments get along well and work well together and will continue too. They just feel allowing each agency to focus on one job will be more beneficial. Glenn says by the end of the year, they'll submit an ordinance to the city council, the council will then decide if each agency can become their own department. LINK: Photo Gallery |
|
|
|
|
| 6.5.04: One extricated from weekend I-40 accident Maumelle firefighters responded as mutual aid for Oak Grove VFD Saturday to a one-vehicle rollover accident on eastbound I-40 near the 139 mile marker. After rolling, the car came to rest on its passenger side, trapping the driver between the passenger door and seat. Firefighters from Maumelle & Oak Grove and members of the Faulkner County Rescue Squad removed the roof to extricate the patient |
|
|
|
|
| 5.22.04: Firefighters make good stop in apartment building fire An occupant of Millwood's Landing Apartments at 200 Millwood Circle called Maumelle Public Safety Communications about 3:30 p.m. Saturday to report smoke coming from Building Three. Upon arrival, Maumelle units found heavy smoke showing from the roof of the building. Nearly immediately, a second alarm was transmitted that brought Engines 4 & 6 and Car 931 from North Little Rock to the scene. A third alarm followed that saw Little Rock's Engine 16, Engine 9, Truck 9 & Battalion 9 respond. As mutual aid companies were responding, Maumelle firefighters made an interior attack into the second floor apartments. While crews were inside, the heavy smoke turned to flame and it appeared that the northern half of the roof was weakening. Firefighters were pulled out shortly before the roof collapsed. Master streams from Maumelle Truck 1 & Engine 1 were used to knock down the heavy body of fire. A 2.5" handline was stretched to stop fire from spreading through the attic space across the breezeway. Additional handlines were used to protect exposures from radiant heat. After the fire was knocked down, interior crews returned to the inside to extinguish smaller pockets of fire and to begin the overhaul process. During overhaul, members of LR Engine 9 found what appeared to be an explosive device in one of the second-floor apartments. An evacuation order was given and firefighters once again left the building. With the Little Rock Bomb Squad on standby, a bomb technician inspected the device and deemed it safe. The "device" was a group of red candles taped together that resembled dynamite. Following the all clear to return inside, firefighters completed overhaul and investigators from Maumelle Public Safety and North Little Rock began the initial investigation. Although Building Three is missing half of its roof, fire damage was contained to two second-story apartments and the attic space. The remaining six apartments suffered water & smoke damage. LINK: Photo Gallery |
|
|
|
|
| 4.22.04: Charter School students join public safety for day The police & fire divisions of the Maumelle Department of Public Safety doubled in size Wednesday as four students from Sean Barron's ninth grade class at Academics Plus Charter School became police officers & firefighters for a day. James Tipton and Mitchell Taylor, both of Maumelle, joined Engineers Charles Watson and Michael Cossey in the fire division. Josh Brent, of Little Rock, and Carl Sutherland, of Maumelle, accompanied Sgt. Mike Gilbert and Officer Chris Lester in the patrol division. The four students were a part of a class project that saw members of Barron's class work in different areas of city government. LINKS: Complete Story | Photo Gallery 1 | Photo Gallery 2 |
|
|
|
|
| 3.26.04: Maumelle Fire-Rescue extricates motorcyclist from fence Maumelle Fire-Rescue responded to a reported motorcycle accident with possible fatality Friday, March 26. Upon arrival at the scene -- along North Odom Boulevard east of Woodland Drive -- they found their lone patient lodged in a wooden privacy fence and in serious condition. The patient was stabilized and extricated from the fence while Baptist Health's MedFlight was requested to the scene. Firefighters established a landing zone on Odom Blvd. and the patient was transported to Baptist Health Medical Center in Little Rock. The following new account appeared in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette March 28, 2004: A man hurled into a tree line during a motorcycle crash Friday in Maumelle suffered severe injuries and remained in a Little Rock hospital's intensive-care unit Saturday. Dwayne Howard Hudson, 31, of Little Rock suffered wood splinters in his mouth and a broken jaw, wrist, pelvis and leg in the 11:15 p.m. wreck on Odom Boulevard in northern Pulaski County, Maumelle police Sgt. Stewart Braggs said. "He's lucky to be alive," Bragg said Saturday. Hudson was taken by helicopter to Baptist Health Medical Center, where hospital officials, citing patient privacy rules, declined to give his condition Saturday. After the crash Hudson answered police questions from a hospital bed, Bragg said. Through witness statements and a preliminary report, Braggs recounted the wreck: Hudson was traveling east on his motorcycle when he lost control in a curve on Odom Boulevard near Woodland Drive, wheeled over a concrete median and struck a ditch. The motorcycle went airborne. While still on the motorcycle in the air, Hudson flew through tree limbs at least 10 feet from the ground before landing. The motorcycle went airborne a second time. When it landed, Hudson and the bike separated. Hudson went headfirst into the wooden fence. The impact splintered the wood, which flew into Hudson's helmet and speared his face and mouth. Bragg said Hudson's exact speed at the time of the crash was unknown. |
|
|
|
|
| 2.10.04: Maumelle firefighters drop signs, battle condo fire For several months, Maumelle firefighters have campaigned in support of a 1% sales tax that would help create an independent fire department, add additional career firefighters and build new stations. When voters went to the polls February 10, volunteer and off-duty firefighters alike were stationed outside the polling place holding signs in support of the tax. While holding signs and waving to passing motorists, firefighters noticed smoke near the Edgehill Cove Condominiums -- just down the street from the Odom Community Center where votes were being cast. As the smoke grew in volume, it became apparent that the condos were on fire. Off-duty firefighter Tim Bullard notified the Maumelle Department of Public Safety of the working fire as he and his fellow firefighters dropped their signs and ran to the scene. On-duty public safety officers were dispatched along with Engine 1 and Truck 1, which were staffed by an on-duty engineer and the fire chief. North Little Rock Engine 4 was requested to the scene for assistance. The Oak Grove Volunteer Fire Department sent an engine company to provide coverage to the city and an mobile air unit to the scene to refill air bottles. Upon arrival, firefighters found heavy fire in the first floor of the condo at 14 Edgehill Cove. The fire extended through void spaces into a neighboring apartment. A total of three handlines were stretched into the two condos and the fire was stopped before it could enter the third of three units in the building. All residents of the involved units escaped without injury. However, two family pets were unable to leave Unit 14 and died in the fire. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. |
|
|
|
|
1.14.04: |
|
Site Design & Original
Content Copyright © 2003-12, Michael
Cossey. All Rights Reserved. Don't
Steal. |
