BENTON COUNTY (KFSM) -- The Benton County Sheriff's Office and Rogers Fire Department are now part of an agreement that will help provide a dive team for the area.
Rogers Fire Chief Tom Jenkins said they have been talking with the sheriff's office since they took the dive team back under their management.
He said they will help provide their Special Response Team with dive training and possibly more equipment.
“You know at the end of the day, we are providing a service to the citizens of Rogers and the surrounding areas of Benton County that we were never able to provide as timely as we will be now," Jenkins said.
The Rogers Fire Department will assist the Benton County Sheriff's Office during emergency situations when needed.
It is not uncommon for a fire department to provide dive teams, but Jenkins called this partnership unorthodox.
Usually these mutual aid agreements are between two fire departments or two police departments.
“I mean every year we cover drownings at Beaver Lake and for a long time our own firefighters have felt like this could be something good to add to our capabilities," Jenkins said.
With the deal done, he explained they will now work on getting people certified in diving, building their confidence to use that training on others while protecting themselves and possibly getting new equipment.
Jenkins said this isn't a deal that will happen overnight, but they will be ready by summer.
His crew is excited about this new addition to what they can provide to the community.
Jenkins said some of their crew has already started the training necessary to assist in dive situations.