Two people in Foreman, Ark., have been recruited to train as first responders and a bank has offered to pay for the training.
A first responder is a person with specialized training who is among the first to arrive and provide assistance at the scene of an emergency, such as an accident or natural disaster.
In July 2009, Foreman, Ark., had 18 medical first responders. Today, Foreman has none, Foreman Mayor Judy Adams said.
After the council discussed the problems with having no first responder, Horatio State Bank President Ned Hendrix volunteered to pay training costs.
"We want to help the community and will pay for the training. It's important to have trained first responders," Hendrix said.
"We didn't ask the bank to pay for it. Mr. Hendrix volunteered," Adams said.
"Some of the first responders have died. Some have retired. Some want other people to take over the responsibility," she said.
"It's a pretty scary situation for a family when they call for an ambulance, and it takes 30 minutes to an hour to go to Foreman. We're not giving up on it," Adams said of recruiting first responders.
Foreman is in Little River County and has a population of about 1,011 based on the 2010 census.
"Two Foreman volunteers have expressed a desire to go through the training with the stipulation they must be able to complete the course," Adams said.
The tuition is $250 and $60 for the book, said Don Hale Jr., the county's emergency management coordinator. The first responder course is 40 hours and also requires completing a CPR class and a first aid class.
The Arkansas Fire Academy in Camden requires a person have a passing rate of 80 percent to become a first responder.
The course teaches how to determine injuries, communicate with the paramedics and ambulance crews and restrict bleeding and "package" wounds for transfer to a medical facility.
Little River County has 30 first responders, all volunteers, among its 14 fire departments, Hale said. The county population is about 12,359 and covers about 600 square miles.