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Former Gamaliel Fire Protection District Board Commissioner Wayne Roth has clarified that his resignation was not due to disagreements over a fire rescue boat for Lake Norfork, while Justice of the Peace Tink Albright has also shed light on the complex dynamics behind the recent board appointments.
In separate interviews with the Mountain Home Observer, both Roth and Albright provided insights into the challenges facing rural fire departments and the appointment process for fire protection district boards.
Roth, 82, cited age as the primary factor in his decision to leave the board. “Being 82 years old this month… I just didn’t see another three years in my future to do it, you know,” he said.
The former commissioner expressed surprise at the Baxter County Quorum Court’s initial rejection of his proposed replacements, Sandra Nelson and Cindy Blankenship. Roth described both women as “eminently qualified” to take over his position and that of Mike St. Romaine.
“I took a letter with all signatures of past and present members of the fire commission to Kevin Litty. I wish he had said something up front,” Roth said.
Albright, who voted against the appointments, revealed that her decision was influenced by numerous calls from members of the Gamaliel Fire Department.
“I couldn’t with the amount of calls I got from over there. I just, in my heart, I just couldn’t [approve],” Albright said.
She elaborated on the situation, stating, “There were other people very interested in maybe serving on the commission. And, you know, they were basically ignored.”
Albright emphasized that it wasn’t just one or two people expressing concerns, but “several” individuals who reached out to her. Albright also noted the varied appointment processes across different fire departments.
“Some of them let the fire chief and the firefighters kind of have a say when they’re appointing a commissioner, some of them don’t,” she explained.
Both Roth and Albright acknowledged ongoing internal conflicts within rural fire departments. Roth described a faction “constantly criticizing and backbiting, getting people to write letters, just doing all kinds of undermining.” However, he was reluctant to name individuals due to the department’s struggle to retain volunteers.
“On the other hand, they’re the ones that show up, so I have been remiss to get rid of them or to name names,” Roth said. “Because it would be detrimental to the everyday operation of the fire department.”
Despite these challenges, Roth insisted that the department remains functional. “We are not dysfunctional,” he stated. “We are fine. We respond to all calls.” However, he acknowledged room for improvement on the political side of the department, saying, “But it sure could be a lot, a lot better.”
Regarding the situation surrounding Gamaliel’s fire rescue boat for Lake Norfork, Roth affirmed its necessity but suggested that its location should be reconsidered.
“I fully feel that we need a fire rescue safety boat on Lake Norfork,” he said. “But as far as the lake is concerned, it really ought to be at Tracy or Panther Bay because of the geographical location.”
“The boat needs to be one that has two engines for maneuverability when addressing a patient, a cadaver, or a fire,” he explained. “What we don’t have is a drop-down bow to slide a patient on. We actually have a like a winch lift, and there’s a potential for hurting a patient more than they already are.”
He also highlighted the need for year-round operability. “We cannot operate in winter because if we get a call down the lake at night in the winter… and it’s below freezing out, we risk frostbite, and we need a cabin around it,” Roth said.
Roth estimated that a properly equipped boat would cost around $250,000.
“If every member of the community on Lake Norfork, if every citizen donated five dollars, we still wouldn’t have enough money,” he said. “It’s got to come from the county, the state, the feds, or more likely, it’s got to come from people whose livelihood depends upon Lake Norfork, which is just about everybody in town.”
The former commissioner also noted the financial strain of maintaining the current boat.
“We don’t get one penny extra for operating that boat, not one penny,” Roth said. “And now one engine’s gone and the other engine’s going, and we cannot… it’s a two-engine boat. You can’t operate a two-engine boat with one and a half engines, it’s not safe.”
Albright expressed her commitment to finding a solution for the fireboat issue, even after her term ends. “I have racked my brain on this fire boat thing, trying to figure out how I could help even after I’m out of office,” she said.
Albright also stressed the need for clearer guidelines in appointing fire district commissioners.
“We need some sort of county ordinance… just something simple that lays it right out there in black and white,” Albright suggested.
