City to hire three new firefighters

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Texarkana Gazette: News Column

City to hire three new firefighters

By PRASHANSA SAI/Of the Gazette Staff

The City of Texarkana, Ark., will hire three firefighters in 2002 to help

staff one of the two fire stations that will go into service after the new year.

Station No. 4 will replace the current airport site, and will be located at

500 Tire Road.

" The fire station at the airport houses both the city's structural

firefighters and the Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting team, " said Steve

Luebbert, director of the Texarkana Regional Airport.

However, with three members of the city's firefighting force moving to

Station No. 4, the AARF will now have its own facility.

" Though we won't be stationed there anymore, it isn't a problem, " Fire Chief

Bobby Honea. " We'll still run backup for them. "

The other new fire station, No. 5, is located at 2901 Trinity Blvd. just

north of Interstate 30.

" Station No. 5 is really the only new one that the city will have, and it

will require a staff of nine, " City Manager said. " We plan to

staff it with three members of the force that we hired last year, three members

of the AARF, and with three new members that we plan to hire next year. "

The city has allotted an additional $156,894 to cover salaries for the

additional personnel.

Honea, who has already compiled a list of prospects for the city's

firefighting team, will begin interviewing candidates after Jan. 1.

" Every October, the Civil Service Commission administers exams, and we

compile a list of the eligible applicants based on their scores, " Honea said.

Top scorers of the exam, which was conducted on Oct. 20, will also have to

pass a physical examination and a thorough background check.

" We have currently narrowed it down to 23 individuals who had exemplary

scores on the civil service exam, " Honea said.

Though the force has received female applicants in the past, there are no

women on Honea's list for 2002.

The Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting team, which operated under the

jurisdiction of the city, is managed by the Texarkana Regional Airport as of

October 2000.

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