Message from Ward 6 Fire Chief Todd Parker:
I am amazed at the dedication and hard work of the firefighters from Ward Six Fire Protection District No. One. Since Friday at 3 p.m., Ward 6 Firefighters have responded to 25 grass/brush, woods fires. I have watched with pride and admiration as my team has selflessly worked through sheer exhaustion to protect lives and property.
Our volunteers are utterly exhausted and many return to their full time jobs today leaving the community with far less responders that are available to mitigate these fires. The crews have and are doing their part to protect the community, now its time to do your part.
Burning of grass, trees, trash and yard debris can wait. The majority of the calls were do to fires being left unattended or homeowners not having the means to control a fire they were burning.
You can also choose to join the fire department and help us help our community. If interested you can private message our page and we will gladly walk you through the process.
On Sunday, I submitted a request to Calcasieu Parish that a burn ban is put into place until weather conditions are more suitable for burning. I understand that we have had rain, I understand the drought conditions have gotten much better, and I also understand that we cannot continue this torrid pace of emergency calls this week.
As the fire chief, I am responsible for planning for and responding to emergency incidents to protect our community, today, I am choosing to protect the lives of our firefighters so they can continue to respond to emergencies. If a burn ban is put into effect, Ward 6 Fire will fully enforce the requirements of the burn ban.
DeQuincy Fire Dept.’s message to anyone in this area: Please don’t burn anything outside right now. The fire conditions are in the most extreme level with the humidity low and high winds. Even though you might think you’ve got it covered, the wind can carry embers and ignite other areas. So far everything that we have had to put out they had thought they had it under control. For the last several days several of us have done nothing but put out fires that are out of control with no free time of our own. Also, just remember you are responsible for anything that happens if you start a fire at your expense.
