Fire department pays high price

In 2009 and year to date 2010 your Pea Ridge Fire Department has participated in 2047 training hours, 1495 incident hours and 814 callouts for service.

In talking with our fire department members, I am encouraged to remind you what we do and don’t get for being the largest city department with the smallest budget.

We do get $7 per callout at any time of the day or night, any weather, any conditions, any number of complicated situations.

We do get $7 per training session that occurs on birthdays, anniversaries, family events, days, evenings and weekends at many locations around the county and state.

We do get to look forward to an approximate $120 per month state pension after at least 20 years of service.

We do get to risk our livelihoods and our lives in conditions that to say the least can be very dangerous.

We do get to witness and provide immediate solutions to people during the most trying, and many times tragic times of their lives, at a moment’s notice - only to return to our personal lives a short time later and shake off whatever emotional intensity we may have just been involved in.

We do get to carry the responsibility of our position with regards to general safety of the public, and perpetuating the program.

We do get the satisfaction of knowing each other closely as we’ve trained and dealt with these situations together as a team, with confidence in each others’ abilities.

We do get the satisfaction of having a supportive local government and city departments that we work with as a team.

We do these things with a sense of duty, dedication, courage and integrity that enables us to perform for minimal outside recognition or compensation.

We don’t get annual raises, this year we had our first one in almost 30 years

We don’t get annual bonuses.

We don’t get to completely unwind at the end of the day for years, in many cases decades, as a call for service may occur at any time. (Our wives and families do get to put up with this.)

We don’t get why some people won’t pay their fire dues - or complain about it, with the bargain in services they’re eligible to receive for a mere $4 per month or 13 cents per day.

With this same money,we’ve been able to fund seven-day-a-week staffing, providing improved services and response times.

The alternative would be a service costing literally millions of dollars to provide.

I guess the “do gets” outnumber the “don’t gets” - in any sense we aren’t complaining, simply observing.

Thank you for your continued support!

CHIEF FRANK RIZZIO, PEA RIDGE FIRE DEPARTMENT Pea Ridge, Ark.

Boyds are grateful

We would like to sincerely thank the parents, coaches and players of the Pea Ridge sixth-grade football organization for the incredible gifts of appreciation. This expression of kindness and generosity was received as a total surprise to us.

It’s so gratifying to be a part of this “football family” that we enjoy making contributions by simply providing water during practice and games.

The real credit for the success of this team is due to the efforts and hard work of the coaches. With everyone’s support, I’m confident they will lead us through another successful season. Go Hawks!

Thanks again, MARTY AND LORI BOYD Pea Ridge, Ark.

Opinion, Pages 4 on 10/13/2010