RISON - The Woodlawn, Pansy and Rye Volunteer Fire Departments are accepting donations to help install a repeater that will allow the departments to communicate with one another in the event of a natural disaster or widespread emergency.
Jerry Pennington, fire chief for the Pansy Fire Department, addressed the Cleveland County Quorum Court in July about the need for having a way for the departments to communicate with one another.
As it stands now, Pennington said the radios currently being used only have a range of about two to three miles. In situations where the fire departments along Hwy. 63 would need to talk with one another, the current system in place would not work.
To resolve the problem, Pennington told the quorum court that a radio repeater using an existing antenna at the sheriff's office in Rison would provide enough signal to allow all the departments to freely communicate with one another. He said he and Woodlawn Fire Chief Owen Rushing recently tested the system using some of the new style digital radios. Pennington said one of them traveled to the Cleveland-Jefferson County line and the other to the Broken Spoke store at Rye. He said the signal was very clear between the two using the repeater.
Pennington approached the quorum court during its meeting Monday night about funding the repeater. He said it should cost no more than $2,500. However, it was pointed out during the discussion that the repeaters put up at New Edinburg and the Staves community were both funded by those local fire departments.
Justice of the Peace Bruce Brown of Pansy asked Pennington if they would consider seeking private donations to fund the repeater. Brown said he was willing to donate $500 on behalf of his business, Bruce Brown Telephone Service, for the repeater if the fire departments could raise the rest.
Anyone wanting to make a donation can do so by sending it to Owen Rushing, 8470 Hwy. 114, Rison, AR 716...
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