BY JACLYN ROSE –
Born and raised in Mena and a 1995 graduate of Mena High School, Jason Head, went to work for the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department in general maintenance immediately following high school and has now celebrated twenty years with them. In 2004, he married Christi Head, an in-home daycare provider, and he has two step-children, Kalie and Jarrett.
Head spends his days working for the State of Arkansas but more importantly, he spends many of his evenings and his weekends serving the people of Polk County in a truly honorable fashion. Head is a volunteer firefighter and EMT, a role that is vital to the community. Head has been trained through the Camden Fire Academy and attended EMT School at RMCC, he is a an adjutant fire instructor through the Academy, which means he can teach any class that he has taken to other firefighters. He spends much of his time teaching these classes, as well as CPR and First Aid.
Above and beyond a regular volunteer, Head serves at the Mena Fire Department, the Dallas Valley Fire Department and the Board Camp Fire Department. He also serves as the Vice-President of the Western Arkansas Fire and Rescue Association which covers all of Western Arkansas. His CPR classes are available to anyone who needs certification, as well as State employees.
All of the work done by Head is volunteer. He is not compensated for his time and effort. “I see the need to help out in the community. Too many people are worried about what they can get out of it and not what they can give. In this profession, we help people in their worst moments,” explained Head, who began volunteering over twenty years ago, while still in high school. “I don’t sleep much,” he added.
The need in Polk County for more volunteer firefighters is great, with a small community and a small paid staff at the fire department the need for strong, young volunteers grows every year. If anyone is interested in serving their community this way, please contact Jamie Reeves at the Polk County Department of Emergency Management at the Courthouse. “I would recommend volunteering to anyone, it is so rewarding to be able to give back to your community and help your neighbor in this way. We never know when it may be us in need of the help, so we need to start helping others now. We all are a bunch of good ole boys who do it just for love of our community and no other reason. We want to help our community and our neighbors in need. Mena is great, you couldn’t ask for a better place to live and better people to live around. Everybody is always there when you need anything,” said Head.
About Author
Jeri Pearson
Jeri is the News Director for Pulse Multi-Media and Editor of The Polk County Pulse. She has 10 years of experience in community focused journalism and has won multiple press association awards.
Jason Head is a great guy! Wish there were more folks around here with his volunteer mentality.