Red River Parishwide Fire Protection District

Red River Parish Fire District's Engine 2 (Hall Summit) is no longer in service after a rollover crash while responding to a structure fire. The crash occurred on LA Highway 788. Station 2 firefighter Joe Tarver was operating Engine 2, and he fortunately walked away with minor injuries. This is the second rollover for the Fire District. In October of 2005, Engine 8 (Harmon) was involved in a rollover crash on Highway 1 while responding to a fire near the Cotton Gin. Former Engine 1 was already stationed in Hall Summit and will now serve as the primary truck for the area. Plans are underway to purchase a new Engine which will be located at Station 2.

September 14, 2007 - 8:30 PM
FIRE DISTRICT TURNS OVER
DISPATCH TO COMMUNICATIONS DISTRICT

On Friday September 14, 2007, the Red River Parish Fire District turned over all emergency calls to the Red River Parish Communications District. The Communications District will provide the Fire District with 24/7 Dispatching services free of charge. District Chief Felts met with E911 Officials and announced the change this afternoon. E911 Dispatchers will be handling all incoming emergency calls on the Fire District telephone line (932-5050). The Fire District is in full support of the E911 Project, and current plans are underway to have the entire E911 system implemented by January 2008.

September 9, 2007 - 8:00 PM
RED RIVER PARISH FIRE DISTRICT
ELECTS NEW DISTRICT CHIEF
On Tuesday September 4, 2007 the Red River Parish Fire District Board of Commissioners elected Station 1 Chief Shane Felts to serve as the next District Fire Chief (FD-1) of Red River Parish. Former District Chief Berl Lawson submitted his resignation to the commissioners which was effective on September 4, 2007. Chief Felts is excited about the position and is pledging to give the job his best. Chief Felts has numerous years of experience and has shown his strong dedication and support to the Fire District. The District is fully supportive of Chief Felts and everyone is looking forward to the future changes and improvements for Red River Parish.

E911 Coordinator Daniel Simpson, Speaker Joe Salter, E911 Administrator Scotty Warren

May 24, 2007 - 10:00 AM
RED RIVER PARISH 9-1-1 OFFICIALS MEET
WITH LEGISLATORS AT THE CAPITAL

On May 22, 2007 Red River Parish E911 Administrator Scotty Warren and Coordinator Daniel Simpson joined forces with 911 representatives from all over Louisiana to meet with legislators at the state capital. The event was sponsored by the Louisiana Chapter of NENA (National Emergency Number Association) and APCO (Association of Public-Safety Communication Officials). Warren and Simpson met with Speaker of the House of Representatives Joe Salter, Representative Taylor Townsend, and Senator Robert Adley to discuss the E9-1-1 Project for Red River Parish. The trip was a huge success and hopefully will aid in progressing the E9-1-1 Project.
Once implemented, the E9-1-1 System will handle and dispatch all emergency calls throughout the parish - Law Enforcement, Fire, and EMS. The system will reduce overall response time for all responding agencies and ensure the citizens of Red River Parish have the same access to emergency aid as all other residents of Louisiana. Any questions or concerns regarding the project should be emailed to the Red River Parish Communications District at redriverparish911@yahoo.com

May 23, 2007 - 11:00 AM
FIRE DISTRICT RESPONDS TO DROWNING
IN GRAND BAYOU RESERVOIR

On May 22, 2007 around 10:08 PM, Fire District personnel received notification of a possible drowning at the spillway in Grand Bayou Reservoir. Firefighters responded in personal boats along with Rescue 1 and Rescue 11. Upon arrival it was determined the individual had been under water for several minutes. Bienville and Natchitoches Parish Dive Teams were notified to assist in locating the body. Divers searched the area until around 2:30 AM when the Sheriff's Department called off the search until daylight. Divers returned at 8:00 AM and recovered the body around 9:00 AM. The victim was identified as Vincent Callahan of Coushatta which recently graduated from Red River High School. For more information related to the incident, visit www.ktbs.com , www.ksla.com , or www.shreveporttimes.com . The Red River Parish Fire District would like to thank Bienville and Natchitoches Parish responders who assisted in the recovery efforts.

The District received its newest apparatus on Friday March 23, 2007 as "ENGINE-1" officially entered into service. The engine will be stationed at Central Fire & Rescue (Station 1) in Coushatta. The new "Engine 1" will replace the existing pumper which has served as Coushatta's primary unit since 1987. The majority of the funding for the truck came from an insurance settlement involving the crash of Engine 8 back in October of 2005. The remainder funding came from the tax payers of Red River Parish. The District is pleased to be able to provide the citizens of Red River Parish with this new modern firefighting apparatus. Check back soon for more pics!

LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT RECEIVES $55,000 THROUGH FY 2006 ASSISTANCE TO FIREFIGHTERS GRANT AWARD FROM U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

    COUSHATTA, LOUISIANA –Today, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security awarded a $55,000 Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program award to the RED RIVER PARISH FIRE DISTRICT.
    Nationally, the AFG awards, which will be distributed in phases, will ultimately provide approximately $485 million to roughly 4500 fire-related organizations.
    Through the AFG program, the department awards grants to firefighters, emergency response personnel and first responders throughout the country to enhance response capabilities and to more effectively protect the health and safety of the public, with respect to fire and other hazards. The grants provide resources for local fire departments and emergency medical services programs to purchase or receive training, conduct first responder health and safety programs, and buy equipment and response vehicles.
    “The Assistance to Firefighters Grants program has been instrumental in building capacity and has provided needed resources for our nation’s firefighters,” said Under Secretary for Preparedness George Foresman. “From the purchase of equipment to first responder training, the AFG program has had an immensely positive impact on fire related initiatives which has directly resulted in saving lives and property in communities throughout the United States.”
    Due to the highly competitive nature of the AFG, more than 18,000 applications, totaling close to $2.5 billion in grant requests, were received for FY2006. Since 2001, the AFG has provided over $2.4 billion in grants to fire departments and first responder organizations to purchase response equipment, personal protective equipment, vehicles and fire prevention activities.
    The Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program is administered by the department’s Directorate for Preparedness through its Office of Grants and Training (G&T) in cooperation with the United States Fire Administration, also a division of the Preparedness Directorate.
    The Directorate for Preparedness bolsters the nation’s security through a multilayered system of preparedness measures based on risk assessment and management. Working with federal, state, local and private sector partners, the Directorate for Preparedness identifies threats, determines vulnerabilities and targets resources where risk is greatest. Through grants, training and exercises, fire service, public health and citizen preparedness initiatives, the Directorate fosters a layered system of protective measures to safeguard our borders, critical infrastructure and cyber security and telecommunications systems.
    The Office of Grants and Training, the federal government’s lead agency responsible for preparing the nation against terrorism and other catastrophic events, provides a wide array of support to the emergency preparedness and response community. The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) works to reduce life and economic losses due to fire and related emergencies through leadership, advocacy, coordination and support.

Early stage planning is underway to implement a Red River Rescue Team in 2007. The Fire District takes on the life saving responsibility of all rescue efforts throughout the parish. Effective and efficient extrication is a vital factor in ensuring a patient's quality of life. It is crucial that all personnel operating the equipment are properly trained and prepared for any emergency situation which may arise. The implementation of the Red River Rescue Team will hopefully assist in ensuring all emergency responders receive the training, knowledge and support to better serve the people throughout Red River Parish.

The proposed Rescue Team will consist mainly of current members of the Fire District, but will be open to any citizen of the parish who is willing to volunteer their time and service. Our hopes are to recruit individuals who may be willing to assist in rescue efforts, but not wish to take part in the firefighting aspects of the District. Once the Rescue Team is formed, specialized hands-on training will be offered to all members of the team. Also, all team members will work towards obtaining the EMS-First Responder level certification. It is important for rescuers to have the basic EMS knowledge when working near injured patients. We are still working on some of the details and new information will be released as soon as it becomes available.

Due to the size of the parish, it is critical to have as many trained emergency responders as possible. The Red River Parish Fire District is completely VOLUNTEER. People often fail to realize the volunteers of the Fire District have other jobs and may not always be available to respond when needed. What happens when someone is seriously injured and trapped inside a vehicle, but no one is available to respond??? Hopefully we will never encounter this situation and we encourage anyone willing to help to please contact us. If you may be interested in participating in the Red River Rescue Team, please email Daniel Simpson at webmaster@redriverfire.com

During the past few weeks, we have been unable to keep the website updated as well as we would like. There has been a shift in some of the personnel positions within the District, and this has caused delays with keeping the site updated. We apologize for this inconvenience, and we will try harder to make sure everyone is informed of the events in Red River Parish.

If you have any questions, comments, suggestions or concerns., PLEASE let us know. We are always open to ways we can improve our site to better inform the public. This site has been in existence for exactly one year and we have received lots of positive comments and support from the citizens of the parish. This site has entertained 3,656 visitors since November 25, 2005. Please email all correspondence to webmaster@redriverfire.com Also, if you have any photos related to the District or Red River Parish, we will be glad to post them. Thanks for visiting and please check back soon!!

E9-1-1 PROPOSITION PASSES

The Red River Parish Fire District would like to thank EVERYONE who supported E9-1-1 and voted YES for the emergency telephone surcharge on November 7, 2006. The Fire Districts looks forward to updating all of its current communication procedures and enjoying the benefits of E9-1-1.

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November 7, 2006 - 10:30 PM
Red River Parish Citizens Overwhelmingly
Support E9-1-1 Surcharge
November 7, 2006 was a memorable election day in Red River Parish. After many years of doubt and controversy, the citizens of Red River Parish will finally have access to E9-1-1. The emergency telephone surcharge proposition received a 92% majority by obtaining 2,103 votes. This proposition will enable the Red River Parish Communications District to begin collection of a telephone surcharge on every landline and wireless line within the parish. Collections will generate around $6,000 per month and provide the Communications District with the funds to operate an effective E9-1-1 Dispatch Center.
E9-1-1 will be a huge asset to the Fire District. The current outdated "phone patch" system has numerous problems and causes confusion among both the caller and responders. E9-1-1 will enable a certified dispatcher to take the calls and dispatch the responders to the exact location of the incident. The enhanced mapping program will provide responders with an exact physical address along with detailed directions. The benefits of E9-1-1 are overwhelming, and the Fire District is proud to be a strong supporter of this project. If you have any questions regarding E9-1-1, please email Project Coordinators Daniel Simpson or Scotty Warren at redriverparish911@yahoo.com

Red River Parish voters went to the polls Saturday, September 30, 2006, to vote on a variety of issues. One of those issues was a renewal of a 10-year, 3.86 mill property tax for the Fire District. The funds generated from this tax are used for the maintenance and operation of the Fire District. Seventy-six percent (76%) of voters voted for the renewal of this tax; twenty-four percent (24%) voted against it. The Fire District would like to thank the voters for their continued support.

Station 2 Chief Scotty Warren is now Red River Parish's newest Nationally Registered EMT-Basic. Warren attended the seven week EMT-B course at Bossier Parish Community College. The course was instructed by Chief Louis Johnson and Captain Charles Bryant with the Shreveport Fire Department. Warren tested in Baton Rouge on September 16, 2006, and passed all portions of the practical and written examinations. He is now the third member of the Fire District to become certified as an EMT-B. Station 1 Captain Daniel Simpson and Mrs. Barbara Nichols, of Station 4, are also Nationally Registered EMT-Basics. Simpson completed his training and certification in the summer of 2005. The District would like to congratulate Warren on being the newest EMT-B in Red River Parish!
The District hopes to hold future CPR, First Responder and EMT-B classes for its current members. Having available certified emergency medical responders is a critical asset to the citizens of a rural parish like Red River. Anyone wishing to become certified in any of the above courses should email us at webmaster@redriverfire.com for more information.