HIGGINSON - Officials in the north Arkansas town of Higginson have a new fleet of vehicles for use during emergencies or natural disasters.
Higginson acquired three Humvees and a military dump truck through a military surplus program, Higginson Mayor Randall Homsley said. The city pays an annual fee of $250 to participate in the program.
“We can utilize these vehicles for several things,” Homsley said. “They can get us anywhere, so in the event of a natural disaster, we’ll be well prepared to get to our residents and get them evacuated if needed. One Humvee will also be used for search and rescue.
“And we paid zero dollars for the [third] Humvee and dump truck, which is the best part of it all.”
Homsley said the city paid $150 to paint the vehicles, and another $120 to place decals on them. The city also spent $600 to place radios and emergency police lights on a Humvee.
Homsley said the third Humvee is a 1988 model with 1,700 miles on it, and the dump truck has had about 60 hours of use.
“The new Humvee is in excellent shape,” he said. “It’s actually in better shape than the 2004 model that we got before. The dump truck is in great shape mechanically as well.”
Homsley said he’s offered use of the vehicles to the White County sheriff’s office and other county officials in the case of emergency. He said he’s also encouraged other law enforcement agencies to participate in the surplus program.
“We have all that we need right now, but other agencies should use this program,” Homsley said.
“It’s not just for vehicles; it’s all type of army surplus and military surplus items. If the sheriff’s department or the county needs us in any shape, form or fashion, they are welcome to call us, and we’ll be there in a heartbeat.”
Arkansas, Pages 20 on 12/29/2013