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Nursing Professor Qualifies as Firefighter

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Christine Felts

   The community of Selma boasts of its success in obtaining certification for their fire department largely due to the efforts of Christine Felts, and her husband Jeff.

   Felts, assistant professor of nursing at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, said she watched her husband volunteer many hours and struggle to gain certification for the department. Many times she would accompany him when he got called out to a fire, and this prompted her to lend her support by joining the department and becoming certified.

   "I find firefighting a very rewarding experience but in a different way than nursing," Felts said. She also said she feels her nursing capabilities will prove a real asset to her in this latest achievement.

   She began by organizing fundraisers in the community in order to pay for the necessary equipment. During her first fundraiser, a fish fry, she managed to help raise a total of $11,000 for the project.

   When Felts learned the department would need at least four persons to attend each fire in order to maintain standards and qualify for insurance benefits, she became interested in getting certified to help fulfill the requirements.

   Felts and five other women recently received certification through the Fire Academy in Camden, with Monticello Fire Chief Wendell Ply teaching the course.

   The women physically participated in the Intro course where they dressed in protective clothing with oxygen tanks on their backs, and crawled through a simulated smoke-filled building in the dark.

   "It was a frightening experience," Felts said.

   The Forestry Commission administered part two of the course titled, "Wild-land Fires."

   Felts and the others plan to finalize their training by participating in the NIMS (National Incident Management Systems) class. This participation will qualify the department to remain certified and become eligible for grants.

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