Profile: Cabb Batson, Arkadelphia’s 2023 Firefighter of the Year -

**Arkadelphia Fire Chief Jason Hunt congratulates Cabb Batson for being named the city’s 2023 Firefighter of the Year.** | *Courtesy photo*

Cabb Batson has been chasing fires his entire life. A third-generation fireman, the young Batson — like his father and two grandfathers before him — carries his surname on the back of his department-issued turnouts at each emergency call

By JOEL PHELPS | arkadelphian.com

Cabb Batson was named the 2023 Firefighter of the Year at the Arkadelphia Fire Department’s annual Christmas dinner. It’s an accolade reserved for those who wear their turnouts proudly and serve their community diligently. Each year a department-wide vote is cast for the Firefighter of the Year.

Batson won this year’s honor by a landslide, Fire Chief Jason Hunt said, and rightly so: “His dedication to our department goes far beyond firefighting. Anytime I’ve needed extra help with something at the department or community outreach, he’s been there for us. Cabb is an outstanding young man and a true example of what a firefighter should be.”

One of Batson’s first Halloween costumes was a firefighter outfit tailored for a little boy. He would have more use for those “turnouts” beyond the trick-or-treating. “Some of the first things I can remember are wearing those turnouts to controlled burns,” he said.

**A Halloween costume got plenty of use from a young Cabb Batson.**

Now 22, Batson carries fond memories of tagging along with his dad, longtime volunteer fireman Blake Batson, when the department would conduct controlled burns of dilapidated homes, which doubled as training exercises.

**Helping his dad man a fire hose at a controlled burn, a young Cabb Batson pauses to smile for a photo.**

The first actual call he recalls going on is one any longtime Arkadelphian will remember: the 2006 blaze that claimed Dixon Manufacturing in downtown. Cabb was 5 years old.

It seems that the desire to become a firefighter is a dominant trait in the family’s genetics. Cabb is the grandson of the late R.H. “Dick” Batson, former assistant fire chief; and the late Floyd “Buddy” Manning, former fire chief; and the nephew of former fire chief Ricky Arnold.

A young Cabb Batson is pictured with immediate relatives who have served the Arkadelphia Fire Department. Pictured, from left, is former Fire Chief Floyd “Buddy” Manning (maternal grandfather), former Fire Chief Ricky Arnold (maternal uncle), Cabb Batson, and R.H. “Dick” Batson (paternal grandfather). | *Courtesy photo*

“It kinda feels like the family business,” Cabb admitted. “My family on both sides has always carried a public service mindset, of working for the people. They have instilled in me the importance of serving the community and how rewarding it is.”

One duty of being a fireman is responding to car accidents where injury is involved. Because Arkadelphia is situated on Interstate 30, Cabb has seen a fair share of rescues.

“Dad was always involved with the rescue part, but I never knew what was wrong with the victim or what treatment they received at the hospital,” Cabb said. “I was always interested in what happened to the patient afterward.”

This curiosity sparked a young Cabb’s interest in the medical field, and he’s now well on his way to reaching his end goal of becoming a physician.

A senior at Ouachita Baptist University, Cabb is studying pre-medicine and biology and is set to receive a bachelor’s degree in May. His next step will be medical school.

Cabb became an official volunteer member of the AFD last year, halfway through his collegiate studies.

“I thought serving the community as a volunteer firefighter would be a great way to see a lot of different things and be able to help people,” he said. “As a firefighter you see people at their worst, and there’s gratification in being able to help them in their time of need.”