MISC

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1j4xY6L7C3fPL9SBtbpyKDJmOVPg&usp=sharing - Baton Rouge area fire stations map - created Nov 2016 - several counties

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Fire Service Organization in Lousiana

In the beginning there were a bunch of volunteer fire departments in

various cities and towns. Then stations began appearing in rural

areas. The counties helped to fund these rural stations. But some of

the rural stations were actually substations of the city and town FDs.

Now they seem to have multiple fire protection districts (FPD) in each

county. I think the FPD all have their own tax rates and elected fire

commissioners. Some have contracted with or merged with the city and

town fire departments.

Lousiana does not seem to have very many "real" county fire

departments with 1 county fire chief and 1 county FD budget. There

might be 2 counties that are adjacent to New Orleans that have real

"county" FDs - but the rest of the state seems to have either multiple

FPDs in each county - or - a bunch of VFDs overseen by a county fire

coordinator.

Dispatch is usually done at the county level I think. So that makes

them like a 80% county FD - but with a bunch of local chiefs.

This is similar to Mississippi, Florida, and Texas - except that Texas has the

ESD concept instead of the FPD concept. But it is very similar (with

commissioners and their own tax rates)

Louisiana also has "wards". The "wards" are a subdivision of the

county government. (Like the precincts in Texas maybe). Louisiana

wards maybe primarily exist to provide DPW services and to define

legislators areas of coverage (voting districts).

Some of the ward boundaries are also used as Fire District boundaries.

And some Wards have more than 1 Fire District. So you can have fire

stations with signs that say - Smith County Ward 4 Fire District 2

Station 3. Which is a mouthful. (that would be - station 3 of the 2nd

fire district in Ward 4 of Smith County)

There are no "Ward" fire chiefs as far as I know - and therefore no

"Ward FDs" - but you could have Fire District 1 of Smith County which

serves just the Ward 1 area in Smith County- so it "is" a "ward FD"

but it not ever named (or refered to) as such.

Here is the fire district law for Jefferson Davis County -

- some fire districts cover more than 1 ward - some serve less than 1

ward - (note - there are also some city or village FDs in Jefferson

Davis County)