RISON - When you’re in need of help during an emergency - such as a fire or a car accident - the local firefighters are the ones most likely coming to your rescue. And now, the firefighters are the ones needing your help.Assistant Fire Chief Bruce Grubb and Firefighter Keden Shrum join the latest episode of the Free Range Conversations podcast to talk about some of the needs for the Rison Volunteer Fire Department.The also share details on upcoming fundraising events the department is hosting to raise funds.While other volunteer fire departments across the county operate as non-profit 501(c)3 charity organizations, the fire department in Rison operates under the City of Rison as a volunteer municipal fire department.Because the fire department receives some funding from the city through sales tax this narrows the opportunities for grant funding to make improvements or purchase new equipment.“If you look around Rison, there's not a lot of places for sales tax, you know, so their budget is very small,” Shrum said. “I don't think people realize there's not a lot of income coming into Rison.”And with grants, because Rison qualifies just above the low-to-moderate income threshold, the fire department becomes ineligible to apply.According to Grubb, costs for “turnouts,” the uniforms and gear firefighters wear on calls, average around $3,000 per firefighter. Currently the department has 17 firefighters.In addition to gear, there are other life-saving equipment the department would like to obtain, such as an AED (Automated External Defibrillator).“We don't get called many times on medical calls, but we have gotten calls from the ambulance people and say, ‘Hey, we need some help,’” Grubb said, noting the device would even be helpful if a firefighter falls out on a call.”Shrum said the AED would be put on somebody who doesn't have a pulse or is believed they don't. “...
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