Hometown Hero Bill Hellard
There ’ s more to working in the fire department than dousing house fires
By Steve Wilcox Special to West Washington County Directory
Farmington Fire Chief Bill Hellard may have started out taping ankles and wrists , but family history dictated another path . That ’ s OK with a career public servant .
Hellard was a member of the Rogers Fire Department for 22 years , reaching the rank of captain . Today , he is the full-time fire chief in the fast-growing Northwest Arkansas community of Farmington , where he has served as chief for four years .
“ We ’ ve always lived in Farmington and our kids went to school in Farmington , and that ’ s why when the position came open and Mark ( Cunningham ) was retiring , I decided this would be a good place for us to be ,” said
Photo by : Alan Cruz Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette
Hellard .
Originally from Camden in southern Arkansas , Farmington has been Hellard ’ s home for nearly 20 years .
“ I moved up here to go to college and began working in the fire department , and I ’ ve been here ever since ,” he said .
Hellard attended the University of Arkansas for two years , where he studied athletic training and took some first responder courses . His father was a firefighter and an instructor at the firefighting academy in Camden .
“ I just finally realized that ( firefighting ) was what I was meant to do ,” said Hellard .
He initially worked with the Rogers Fire Department as a paramedic . He spent many years working in ambulances and medical helicopters .
“ I ’ ve had a chance to use that knowledge , and enjoy that side of the work also ,” he said .
In Farmington , the firefighters are also trained emergency medical technicians . Their job as first responders is to stabilize medical situations during calls until Washington County ’ s Central EMS arrives . Farmington has 13 full-time firefighters , including the chief , and about 20 volunteers .
“ Like many departments today , a majority of what we do are medical EMS runs , everything from headaches to heart attacks ,” said Hellard . “ We deal with overdoses and motor vehicle accidents , along with firefighting and swift water rescue . There are a lot of hats put on the fire service these days .”
The fire department also trains to respond to hazardous material spills .
Calls per day average three or four , with some days having no requests for service and other days requiring eight or 10 responses . That ’ s an average of 20 to 30 calls per week .
“ With the growth in Northwest Arkansas , everyone is becoming a lot busier and departments have to keep up with that growth ,” said Hellard .
The Farmington department covers a wide swath of Washington County , including services requested by nearby communities .
“ Our community is super supportive of emergency services . They support us in any way they can ,” he added . “ That ’ s one of the things that attracted me to this job – how supportive the mayor , the city council and the citizens in the community are .”
He cited the annual fire department pancake breakfast as an example of community participation . Funds from the event help purchase equipment for volunteer firemen .
“ The community of Farmington is just wonderful ,” said Hellard . “ It still has that small-town feel . We like that .”
Though he doesn ’ t necessarily consider himself a Hometown Hero , Hellard does enjoy helping people and working in fire services is a good way to do that .
“ We have a fire department and police department that work well together ,” he said . “ I wouldn ’ t consider myself a hero , I ’ m just someone who does a job to help people .”
Bill Hellard brought a complete EMT / firefighter skillset to his leadership position in Farmington . With more than 20 calls a week , everything he knows gets a workout every day . That ’ s how heroes do it .
2024 WEST WASHINGTON COUNTY DIRECTORY • 15