Forty Under 40: Brent Boydston

Working to protect the lives and homes of Bentonville residents is a full- time job for Brent Boydston. A firefighter for 18 years, Boydston, 38, started out part-time with the Bentonville Fire Department in 1984. Five years later, he became a paramedic.

After working as a firefighter and shift paramedic for three years, Boydston was promoted to lieutenant in 1992 and then seven years later became division chief and served as fire marshall. In 2001, he was promoted to assistant chief.

Boydston’s main motivation and support through it all comes from his wife. “About the time I start getting down, she keeps pushing me,” Boydston said.

Rising through the ranks in the fire department is Boydston’s goal for the immediate future.

One area where Boydston said he’d like to see improvement in is Bentonville’s ISO rating- a nationwide rating by the Insurance Services Office that directly affects homeowner insurance rates. Boydston said he’d like to see it drop to a “one.”

“The better our rating, the better Bentonville insurance rates are. We’ve progressed from a five to a three, but with the growth of Bentonville, you have to keep up with that growth.”

When not fighting fires, Boydston lends his time to coaching the Brinkmann Dominators, his son’s eight-and-under youth baseball team.