Emergency services are the cornerstone of any community, and when questions arise about their readiness or response, it naturally becomes a matter of public concern. Such concerns have recently surfaced in the City of Mansfield following reports from families who experienced medical emergencies and questioned the actions of local first responders.
Mansfield native and certified NREMT Hunter Pyles has raised concerns after being contacted by multiple families regarding separate emergency incidents that resulted in loss of life.
Pyles stated he was first contacted on November 25 by a family member regarding a medical emergency that occurred on September 28. According to the account relayed to Pyles, a Mansfield first responder arrived on scene but appeared unsure how to proceed during a witnessed cardiac arrest.
The family member described the responder as having “no clue what he was doing,” stating that chest compressions were not initiated and that the responder asked a granddaughter to help move the patient to the floor so county personnel could apply an AED when they arrived from Greenwood.
“She reached out to me because she felt that if trained people had been there, her father might still be alive,” Pyles said. “This was a witnessed cardiac arrest.”
Pyles emphasized that the family did not express anger, but concern over what they perceived as a lack of training and uncertainty during a critical moment.
Hoping to prevent other families from having to question the loss of a loved one due to potentially untrained responders, Pyles began seeking answers and contacted Sebastian County First Responder Coordinator Dale Gilstrap, NR-P, on November 30. According to Pyles, Gilstrap assured him the matter would be reviewed, including allegations of HIPAA violations involving patient information shared on social media.
He emphasized that his concerns were not a personal attack. “People critique us every day, and I take criticism very seriously in my work because we need to always be training and improving,” Pyles said. “That’s why I took this complaint very seriously.”
Pyles said he connected with a second family on December 5. “I expressed my condolences, and I was met with sincere appreciation,” Pyles said. “They acknowledged that something needs to be done, but their main goal was to raise awareness so this does not happen again.”
The family member stated, “It was very aggravating the way everything went down. When we got the call at the football game, we told the fire department personnel who were shooting the fireworks that we needed help when we were leaving, and we were told they couldn’t respond. They later did respond, but once inside the home, one firefighter refused to perform CPR, stating they couldn’t do anything because of protocol. The family began CPR themselves, and a second firefighter eventually assisted.”
The family member also said he asked why the retired county ambulance, being utilized by the Huntington Fire Department and present at the game, could not provide assistance. He stated that no explanation was given, and they had to wait for another ambulance to be dispatched.
After hearing about a second death in our community, Pyles began asking more questions, noting that he felt a professional responsibility to address potential failures. “I love my hometown, my family, my friends reside here, and I myself am here a great deal of the time. This is deeply concerning.”
On December 5, Pyles emailed Mansfield Mayor Buddy Black requesting to be placed on the city council agenda. Additionally, on December 6, Pyles would submit a formal complaint to Sebastian County Department of Emergency Management Director Travis Cooper.
After not receiving a response from the mayor’s office, he followed up with a phone call on December 8 and was told the December agenda was already full and would not involve what was described as “real business.”
According to Pyles, Mayor Black told him, “If you call back, we can try to get you on next month. This one is already full, and it is not a real business meeting. We are going to have food for the city employees and that kind of stuff, so we are not going to get off into doing any real business for the December meeting.”
Pyles stated that the mayor asked why he wanted to speak and referenced social media posts, telling him that “people have shown me stuff you have been posting and that we have already got that taken care of.” Pyles said the mayor also stated that emergency management personnel would be coming to provide training and classes.
Pyles said he requested to be placed on the agenda for the January 29, 2026 city council meeting and was asked to submit an email outlining the topic he planned to discuss. He confirmed that he later received confirmation that he has been placed on the agenda for that meeting.
Pyles also received a response from Sebastian County Emergency Management Director Travis Cooper on December 8, stating, “…I have received your email, and next steps are to encourage progress in a positive way for success.” Pyles expressed disappointment with the reply, noting that it failed to address the situations or his concerns.
On December 8, the Mansfield Volunteer Fire Department announced on their social media page that Sebastian County would be offering CPR certification and recertification class scheduled for January 6, 2026.
While Pyles applauded the training initiative, he stated his concerns extend beyond education. “First off, I noted this was not a mandatory class. This is a very basic skill that is even required in our school systems. Why are we not rising to the state standards of care?” Pyles added that NFPA standards, in conjunction with OSHA regulations, mandate training in CPR and the use of an AED for specific individuals in the workplace and for all operational firefighters.
Through multiple Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, Pyles obtained the department’s standard operating procedures (SOPs), standard operating guidelines (SOGs), training certifications, and equipment inventories. He described the policies as “grossly out of date” and raised concerns about potentially expired medical supplies, missing equipment, and a lack of current certifications among department members.
“I specifically requested the expiration dates for medical supplies in my FOIA request,” Pyles said. “However, that information was not provided in the city’s response.”
In the city’s response, records provided to Pyles showed that some certifications were more than a decade old, with only two department members holding current AFTA training certifications.
On December 15, Pyles received a response from Sebastian County Judge Steve Hotz. Pyles stated that he initially contacted Judge Hotz on December 8 and followed up by phone on December 15. Hotz responded that same day, expressing his condolences and advising that the incidents and department operations were under review.
After the Christmas holiday, Pyles followed up again and spoke with County Administrator Mark Allen. According to Pyles, Allen acknowledged that there are valid concerns surrounding the matter. Allen stated that addressing issues of this nature “is like ripping off a Band-Aid and exposing a nasty scar.” He explained that while the county can notify departments of available training opportunities, it does not have the authority to require or mandate attendance at those classes.
Pyles also noted that Allen questioned why the nearby onsite first-response unit, located across the street, did not respond during the medical emergency on November 28.
Allen also stated that he is aware of numerous training opportunities offered by various departments and offered to personally extend invitations for those classes to the mayor.
Pyles commended Allen, stating that he appeared sincere in his desire to assist with addressing the concerns.
On December 19, the City of Mansfield announced it would host a town hall meeting to allow citizens to voice concerns. That town hall is slated for January 8, 2026, at 6 p.m., Mansfield City Hall.
Mayor Buddy Black said the town hall is intended to address “this controversy and the talk that’s going on social media with the fire department.” He explained that the meeting will allow members of the public to speak, with each person signing in and being given approximately two minutes to address the city attorney, the mayor, and the fire chief.
According to Black, the issue centers solely on the fire department, despite what he described as widespread claims that there are problems within the department. He said those claims are unfounded.
“We have never had problems before, and nothing has changed except the leadership,” Black said. “We haven’t had any issues. We haven’t had anything except a bunch of falsehoods, a bunch of lies, and a bunch of negativities, and we’re going to put it to bed.” Black added that the controversy stems from a single individual who did not receive a position they sought. “The only thing that changed was the one person who wanted the job and didn’t get it,” he said. “That’s where it’s at.”
While Mayor Black frames the controversy as the result of personal grievances, Pyles insists that the focus must remain on the matters at hand and that accountability and effective leadership play a crucial role in that.
“Education is an excellent step, but we cannot stop there,” Pyles said. “There must be accountability and leadership willing to ensure standards are met. If they are not, those issues must be addressed so public safety—and public trust—can be restored.”
Resident News will be in attendance at the upcoming town hall and will bring you full coverage of that event.
