Mena Fire Department news

nician, Instructor and Captain. Harvey graduated from the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy in July 2016. He has worked 12 years with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. The first 5 years he worked as a jailer in the Detention Center. The last 7 years have been as a deputy sheriff/school resource officer at Ouachita River School District/Acorn Campus where he ensured the safety of Pre-K thru 12th grade students.

Harvey spends his free time with his wife Shelly, family and friends. His hobbies include golf, going on Jeep rides, traveling and spending time outdoors.

Mena Fire Chief Steve Egger stated, “Duane has been a great asset for the department and the community for many years as a paid on-call firefighter and we now welcome him to the staff as a full-time firefighter as of May 29, 2023.”

Harvey has filled the vacancy created upon the retirement of Mena Asst. Chief Charles Hankins of March 1, 2023.

Bert Street fire

Black plumes of smoke rolled into the blue sky last Thurs- day afternoon. At 3:50 p.m. the Polk County Dispatch paged the Mena Fire Department for a structure fire at 1109 Bert St. in Mena.

Two apparatus and personnel arrived to a fully involved single story wood frame residence. Defensive fire suppression efforts were put in place to confine the fire to the structure and protect nearby exposures.

A vehicle parked in front of the residence was also on fire due to the radiant heat. The vehicle received significant damage to the grill area and into the engine compartment.

The resident was not in the home at the time of the fire. No injuries to any personnel or animals occurred. ply to be a volunteer firefighter. Harvey applied that day and soon after was accepted into the Mena Fire Department in 1995 as a volunteer firefighter.

A man pulled up and spoke with Mena police officers who were directing traffic. He informed them he was a Cove firefighter and wanted to assist. He has a family member with the Mena Fire Department, thus he stopped by.

The fire was handled by the Mena Fire Department with the assistance of SWEPCO Electric, Mena Police Department and Southwest EMS.

The residence was a total loss. The cause of the fire is undetermined at this time. The fire department and 16 personnel cleared the scene at 6:15 p.m. and was not called back for any rekindles.

Harvey has spent the last 28 years serving the citizens of the City of Mena and Polk County in many roles. He has been a Mena Firefighter for the past 28 years, his roles and training include Firefighter 1, Hazardous Materials Operations, Search and Rescue, Auto Extrication, Swift Water Rescue, First Responder, Emergency Medical Tech-