Fire Department

The Little Rock Fire Department has hired its first woman Fire Chief. Rhoda Mae Kerr. The past Deputy Chief of the Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fire Department replaced former Fire Chief Phil Johnston in January 2004. City Manager Bruce Moore said, “I am very pleased to have Chief Kerr join our team in Little Rock. In her career, she has shown that she has the ability to manage multiple, complex projects simultaneously. In today’s world, where Fire Departments are doing so much more than extinguishing house fires, Chief Kerr’s leadership, skills, vision, and high level of energy are exactly what we need in Little Rock.”

Chief Kerr is the first woman in Arkansas ever to be chief of a career-level fire department, and the LRFD is one of the largest departments in the country headed by a woman. Congratulations, Chief Kerr and congratulations, Little Rock!

The Little Rock Fire Department is a dynamic organization comprised of 20 Fire Stations covering 122.31 square miles, protecting 183,000 citizens. The Department has four (4) major Divisions.

The Operations/Suppression Division, headed by Assistant Fire Chief Larry Tyner, is divided into four (4) Battalions each managed by a Battalion Chief, consisting of 20 Engine Companies, eight (8) Truck/Aerial Apparatus Companies—with all in-service units staffed by personnel trained and certified an EMT/First Responders. These front-line Companies are complemented by several Special Operations Companies: an Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) Station consisting of four (4) Red Ball Units and eighteen (18) highly trained personnel; a Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) Unit with WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) element; an Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Unit with extended High Angle Rescue capability, Low Angle Rescue capability, Trench Rescue capability, Swift Water Rescue and Collapse Rescue capabilities; a Bomb Squad Team with at least three (3) members on duty 24/7.

An Inspection/Community Outreach Division, headed by Assistant Fire Chief Don Kinney, made up of the Fire Marshal, Assistant Fire Marshals, Plans Review Office, Inspection/Investigation Personnel, Public Education Officer, Community Outreach Personnel, and an Internal Investigation Unit that investigates both citizen complaints and internal personnel issues.

The Training and Professional Development division, headed by Assistant Fire Chief J.T. Cantrell, is charged with obtaining and maintaining certifications in Fire Fighter I and II as well as EMT-Ambulance and Haz Mat Awareness-Operations and Technician levels. The division also handles Airport Rescue Fire Fighting certification. Specialty skills such as high and low angle rescue, trench rescue, building collapse, swift water operations and WMD related tasks are also handled by the training staff.

Participation in the recruit selection process and testing as well as input on the various tests of equipment and vehicles that the department operates are also functions of the Training Division.

Maintenance of skills for all personnel in addition to ISO compliance in the area of training also comes under the purview of Training.

The thrust of the division is to maintain existing skills while simultaneously searching for new technologies to improve older skills and exploring potential new theatres of operations in which the fire service may be required to become proficient.

The Training Division oversees all certification and re-certification training and strives to meet all Fire Department National Standards in training the Little Rock Fire Department personnel.

The Administration and Planning Division, headed by Assistant Chief ‘Antar Baaree, has direct supervisory control of all Fire Department activities at the Little Rock National Airport, the specifications and ordering of Fire Department vehicles and apparatus, Communications and other Administrative support functions.

The Little Rock Fire Department also has two (2) Emergency Management Personnel, Captain Doug Coney, Acting Emergency Management Administrator, and Matt Burks, Emergency Management Specialist, that provide grant writing proposals, assist with and/or initiate table top exercises, and network with neighboring municipal, county, state and national emergency preparedness personnel. At this time we have one (1) Equipment Technician who provides services to our Scott Air Packs, Fire Extinguishers, etc., and assists Captain Jim Williams, our Administrative Captain and current Fire Department Employee of the year; without whom the wheels of the department would cease to turn.

All of this is currently being done by 400 + personnel and a budget of $24,899,253.00.