As your Fire Chief my greatest concern is the safety and welfare of our citizens and the Firefighters of the City of North Little Rock. The fire department has suffered from our aging fleet, which in some cases I deem to be unsafe and in other cases has proven to be far too expensive, making constant repairs on antiquated trucks.
Thanks to Mayor Joe Smith and the City Council, I am very pleased to announce North Little Rock Fire Department took delivery of three new fire engines today.
Firefighters by their very nature take excellent care of their equipment. As a result, when the average citizen sees a fire truck it is bright and shiny, and even looks new.
The facts are, I have been forced to take two trucks out of service because they are unsafe to drive.
Our city leaders have shown great foresight and fiscal responsibility by ensuring we have a plan in place to ensure we are equipped to meet the challenges that lie before us. We made certain we purchased trucks which are functional, saving tens of thousands of dollars by eliminating all the extra bells and whistles.
Once again, I’d like to thank the Mayor and Council for their due diligence, ensuring North Little Rock Fire Department will be adequately equipped to provide state of the art Fire and Emergency Medical Services to our citizens.
Chief James Murphy
North Little Rock Fire Department