Two Fire Stations Open in Hurricane-stricken St. Bernard Parish

December 17, 2009 – Two St. Bernard Parish, LA Local 1468 fire stations destroyed during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 have now re-opened. Still, only five of the Parish’s 10 fire stations are fully operational.

“Because of these newly built fire stations, more of our fire fighters are able to work in a better, safer environment,” says IAFF 14th District Vice President Danny Todd. “It has been a tough four years since Katrina, but we are finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

“It is good to see that progress is being made, even if it is coming at a slower pace than we had anticipated,” says Local 1468 President Troy Serigne. “There is a lot of red tape.”

When Katrina hit, water from Lake Pontchartrain and the Gulf of Mexico poured into St. Bernard Parish, leaving as much as 13 feet of standing water in some areas. “We are surrounded by levees,” explains Serigne. “When they break, the water will not subside until it is pumped out.”

All 10 of the fire stations were flooded. Initially, this meant that fire fighters were responding from trailers located on or near the sites of the destroyed fire stations.

First, three fire stations were restored. And most recently, two fire stations were completely rebuilt from the foundation up. All of the projects have been largely funded by FEMA.

In addition to the fire station rebuilding projects, St. Bernard Parish is actively trying to return staffing to its pre-Katrina levels. Before the hurricane, the parish had 117 fire fighters. Afterwards, only 80 were left. This is because positions left open by retiring fire fighters were not being refilled.

St. Bernard Parish has since hired 16 fire fighters, but more are needed to fully protect the Parish. Therefore, Local 1468 and the Parish have applied for a SAFER grant.

Local 1468 fire fighters have been informed by FEMA and Parish officials that all 10 fire stations will be rebuilt and operational by July 2010.