Claremore Daily Progress

Top Stories

Related Photos

  • PROGRESS PHOTO/Krystal J. Carman

    images_sizedimage_303123009
October 29, 2008

Helping firefighters

Legislators deliver $5,000 checks to rural departments

By Krystal J. Carman

October 29, 2008 — Rogers County rural fire departments received a little extra padding for their operational costs Tuesday.

“I know it’s not more than a drop in the bucket for what it takes to do what you do, but it’s double the amount you were getting before,” state Rep. Ben Sherrer told the fire chiefs. “It was the biggest knockdown, drag-out in the legislature, but I’m proud we got to duke it out over this.”

Each of the departments, — Chelsea, Catoosa, Tri-District, Verdigris, Foyil, Inola, Northwest and Limestone — received $5,000, twice as much as the they have received in years past.

Battling with big cities for dollars to aid rural areas of the county is something Sherrer and state Rep. Chuck Hoskin say is worth the fight.

“If it were up to big cities, we wouldn’t get anything,” Hoskin said. “It’s up to us to fight that fight. No one does a better job with the money they get than the rural fire departments. With the dollars you get, you do great things with.

“It’s easy for guys like Ben and I to stand up and fight for you.”

The fight for the increase in dollars came after Sherrer said he experienced first hand the wildfires that plagued Rogers County and the state in 2005.

“A 40-foot wall of flames, to someone who’s not a firefighter, is a scary thing,” Sherrer said. “I did not understand the role of rural fire departments until then.”

Tri-District Fire Chief Bob Anderson, who also heads up Rogers County Emergency Management, said all departments worked together during that time, keeping county residents safe.

“We didn’t lose one house to the wildfires in Rogers County,” he said. “We work together. We’ve got a good thing going here.”

Hoskin expressed his appreciation to the departments.

“We came here tonight to present you with this money, but we really came here tonight to thank you for what you do,” Hoskin said. “The people who depend on you need to be protected just as much as those in bigger cities like Oklahoma City and Edmond.”

Text Only
Top Stories
  • NTC-Roy-Clark-Cweb.jpg NTC’s opens Roy Clark Music School

    Claremore is no stranger to country music talent.

    February 3, 2012 1 Photo

  • RCCJA to hire attorney

    Members of the Rogers County Criminal Justice Authority Thursday approved the hiring of a Tulsa attorney to serve as legal council for the trust, charged with supervising sales tax dollars set aside for the jail.

    February 3, 2012

  • bluestarr-wreck2-3-12web.jpg Blue Starr crash sends one to hospital

    The morning commute proved dangerous for a driver in Claremore this morning, as her Dodge Neon was struck by a semi truck at the intersection of Blue Starr Drive and SH66 just after 7 a.m.

    February 3, 2012 1 Photo

  • Flood3web.jpg City proposes storm water fee

    City officials presented the city council with a proposed storm water fee this week to fund future projects to deal with flooding issues.

    February 3, 2012 1 Photo

  • ShakeOut_CUS_DontFreakweb.jpg Are You Ready to ShakeOut?

    With more the 40 million people living and working in the central U.S., a major earthquake could cause unprecedented devastation. What we do now, before a big earthquake, will determine what our lives will be like afterwards. With earthquakes an inevitable part of this region's future, we must act quickly to ensure that disasters do not become catastrophes.

    February 2, 2012 1 Photo

  • Punxsyphil.jpg VIDEO: Punxsutawney Phil makes his prediction

    More than 18,000 people descended on Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney for the annual Groundhog Day celebration.

    February 2, 2012 1 Photo

  • Fallin: Okla. income tax plan to reduce brackets

     Gov. Mary Fallin says her plan to reduce Oklahoma's income tax will reduce the number of tax brackets from seven to three and will include revenue growth criteria that will trigger future tax cuts.

    February 2, 2012

  • Speaker Steele supports Open Records for legislature

    Oklahoma House Speaker Kris Steele says he supports an initiative to require the Oklahoma Legislature to be subject to the requirements of the state's Open Records and Open Meetings Act.

    February 2, 2012

  • Groundhog sees shadow, predicts 6 more weeks of winter

    Pennsylvania’s Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his lair to “see” his shadow on Thursday, in the process predicting six more weeks of winter.

    February 2, 2012

  • American_Airlines.jpg American Airlines: Tulsa jobs to be slashed by 2,100

    American Airlines is expected to slash about 2,100 jobs at its maintenance facility in Tulsa under a bankruptcy reorganization plan released by its parent company, a spokesman for the airline said Wednesday.

    February 1, 2012 1 Photo