14-284-304. Powers and duties.

14-284-304. Powers and duties. The Rural Fire Protection Service of the Arkansas Forestry Commission shall have the following powers, functions, and duties to be performed under appropriate policies and rules promulgated by the Arkansas Forestry Commission: (1) To develop rural fire protection plans for the providing of fire protection services in the various rural areas of this state which do not have available the benefits or services of an organized or voluntary firefighting program, and to assist existing organized or volunteer firefighting services; (2) To encourage the establishment of rural fire protection districts and to promulgate reasonable and necessary rules that rural communities must meet in order to become eligible to secure firefighting vehicles and equipment through the Arkansas Forestry Commission; (3) To cooperate with and assist the Arkansas Fire Training Academy in developing training programs designed to instruct and train firefighters employed or used by rural fire protection districts in the suppression of fires, and to especially establish training programs designed to prepare rural firefighters in the methods of handling firefighting problems encountered in rural areas; (4) To provide leadership and to cooperate with the Division of Emergency Management, the State Fire Marshal's office, and the Arkansas Fire Training Academy in coordinating the efforts of these agencies with the efforts and services of rural fire protection districts for the purpose of coordinating and making maximum use of the services and resources of this state in providing rural fire protection services in this state; (5) To establish a program to obtain by acquisition, donation, transfer, loan, or purchase, vehicles and other properties which are suitable for repair, refurbishing, and renovation, to be used as fire trucks or other firefighting equipment, and to acquire the necessary tanks, pumps, water hoses, and other equipment to convert and adapt the equipment for firefighting purposes, and to make the equipment available to rural fire protection districts, under appropriate rules and eligibility standards promulgated by the Arkansas Forestry Commission, to be used by rural fire protection districts in the suppression of fires; (6) To provide technical assistance and guidance to rural fire protection districts, to cooperate with and assist persons interested in the creation of the districts in the collection of data and providing other resources or technical assistance to aid rural property owners in efforts to establish rural fire protection services, and to provide technical advice and assistance to rural fire protection districts to enable the districts to obtain and operate the necessary equipment and training and operating procedures to function efficiently as a rural fire protection district; (7) To contract with public and private sources, including the Division of Correction, for providing mechanical, painting, body work, or other repair services relative to the conversion, painting, and adaptation of vehicles being converted into fire protection vehicles, and to reimburse for the cost of the services; (8) To promulgate appropriate rules and forms for the administration of the Rural Fire Protection Revolving Fund, which shall consist of moneys made available for it to be used by the Arkansas Forestry Commission in defraying the initial cost of equipment, repair, furnishing, and adaptation of vehicles as fire trucks, or other firefighting equipment, with the cost to be reimbursed to the Arkansas Forestry Commission upon the vehicle's being made available to a rural fire protection district or similar rural firefighting agency which operates not for profit, and, in addition, to make loans, as provided in this subchapter, to rural fire protection districts to provide a portion of the moneys required to enable the districts to acquire vehicles and equipment from the Arkansas Forestry Commission; and (9) To perform such other functions and duties which may be necessary to enable the Arkansas Forestry Commission to provide a program of comprehensive services to encourage the development and availability of rural fire protection services throughout this state.