When you think of summer, you think of water but one local fire department realizes that water can come during all seasons. The Strawberry Volunteer Fire Department deals with water and water hazards year around. As many of us know the intersection of State Hwy 115 and 117 in Jesup floods several times a year causing the roadway to be closed, but what people don’t know is the Strawberry Fire Department has made several rescues over the years at that intersection. Fire Chief Stanley Mayland has made this well traveled intersection a priority to his department. Each Year he sends several of his firefighters to the Arkansas Fire Boat School, this year three firefighters from Strawberry traveled to DeGray Lake to take part in the annual training that draws hundreds from around the state.
Each year a number of different agencies like the Forestry Commission and Arkansas Game and Fish put on a training course. It puts crews in real life scenarios if there were emergencies on the water.
A member of the U.S. Coast Guard jumping from a helicopter into DeGray lake to save someone from down below. It’s not a sight you would typically see, but it happened on Saturday. It wasn’t an emergency, but a training exercise for Arkansas Fire Boat School. A number of different agencies across Arkansas and surrounding states are learning what to do in emergencies on the water. The crews aren’t playing on the lake, but are hard at work. Crews trained in the Caddo River, instructors taught safety for small boats and how to rescue victims from moving water. When water season approaches the crews will be ready for the next emergency. The training is free to boat crews. They are getting graded on how well they did during the training exercise and are told what to work on when they get back home.
In attendance from the Strawberry Volunteer Fire Department were Greg Howard, Cody Doyle and Hunter Durham. Hunter Durham and fellow Strawberry Firefighter Ryan Anderson are also members of the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Dive Team.
