Church Point Volunteer Fire Department

 Date Added 2020-10-19


What is happening with your fire protection?
 
      We spent last week either waiting out the storm or attempting to help those impacted by the storm. We did try to respond to every call for help in distribution, but we are volunteers and at times literally there were very few who could help. Between taking care of our own families and working regular jobs our time was at times stretched thin. We realize we could not provide everything that was needed, and it is not eas...

 Date Added 2020-10-07

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
  The supplies collected by the Church Point Volunteer Fire Department and the Church Point Police Department to assist those in need from hurricane Laura were delivered to a local church operated distribution center in Lake Charles. The building they are using was their school but it was damaged too much to be used for that purpose so they are using it to help others in need. The supplies were much appreciated. We would simply like to...

 Date Added 2019-10-22



     What is happening with your fire protection?
 
      Just a quick word this week for possible clarification. There is a resolution on the November ballot for those in Acadia Parish Fire Protection District 10 which is very important to our fire and emergency response. It also is very important to the insurance rates for our fire district.

    The resolution on the ballot for Acadia Parish Fire Protection District 10 is for a new “once pe...

 Date Added 2019-10-22


     What is happening with your fire protection?
 
      The October election is behind us and we now look forward to the November election. There is a resolution on this ballot which is very important to our fire and emergency response. It also is very important to the insurance rate for our fire district.

        We have mentioned funding for the fire service in the Acadia Parish Fire Protection District 10 in other columns. This week I would l...

 Date Added 2019-10-01



     What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     A few words on fire prevention. Everyone needs to practice fire prevention. It is often one of those things we do not think of unless we have a fire and we see we could have prevented it. Granted not all fires are preventable but studies show far too many could have been “easily” prevented with a few safety steps.

     I would like to encourage all businesses to book a fire prevention...

 Date Added 2019-09-16




     What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     PIAL fire evaluation and rating. This is very, very important to homeowners, business owners, landlords, and truly even realtors and renters. No doubt there are others as well. This rating is what is used to calculate the insurance rates when it comes to fire. It can make a big difference in annual insurance bill and all those costs trickle down and impact just about everyone in some way. As we hav...

 Date Added 2019-09-09


     What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     I believe it is only fitting that we again bring attention to September 11, 2001, a day that should never be forgotten. 18 years ago, ‪on September 11‬ a series of events took place that tragically took the lives of many innocent people, many firefighters among them. Still today the effects of the attack and its aftermath are still taking lives. There will be memorials and services held across our nation, at...

 Date Added 2019-09-02


     What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     September 11, 2001, a day that should never be forgotten. 18 years ago, ‪on September 11‬ a series of events took place that tragically took the lives of many innocent people, many firefighters among them. Still today the effects of the attack and its aftermath are still taking lives. There will be memorials and services held across our nation, at least one here in Church Point. As this day approaches take t...

 Date Added 2019-08-25



     What is happening with your fire protection?
 
      We mentioned funding for the fire service in the Acadia Parish Fire Protection District 10 in last weeks column. This week I would like to simply elaborate on that funding. Besides grants which are applied for but not always won, our fire district is funded by a $50.00 per year per parcel fee. This is per year, per “Parcel” owned in our district which calculates to about $4.17 per month, yes $4.17 p...

 Date Added 2019-08-25

...

 Date Added 2019-08-15



     What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     As mentioned in last week’s paper, the fire hydrants in town will be tested as part of the necessary steps to insure workability of the hydrants as well as necessary testing as required for the PIAL insurance requirement. Though the fire department uses the hydrants when fighting fires, the water supply through the hydrants is part of the town’s responsibility. Without water we cannot fight fire, and ...

 Date Added 2019-07-02



     What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     We are not alone. No, wait, this is not an article on alien life. I was out of town for two weeks visiting family in three different towns in two different states. I took the opportunity to look a little into 3 different fire departments. 2 of the 3 were volunteer departments. I found that as with the Church Point area, fire service is important but getting people and funds to maintain a viable fire servi...

 Date Added 2019-06-25




     What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     Vacation. So, you say, the fire department has vacation time. Well, yes and no. Since the fire department that serves the Acadia Parish Fire Protection District 10, which is the church Point area is a volunteer department there is not really vacation time. Also though, since the department is volunteer, the firefighters have there own jobs and most do get vacation time from those jobs. When firefig...

 Date Added 2019-06-19



A Special Thank You from the Church Point Volunteer Fire Department
 
The Church Point Volunteer Fire Department Annual Car and Truck show held June 1st was a big success. We would like to thank all our special sponsors once again for their support. Duhon Funeral Home LLC, Rayne State Bank, J&R Tire, Ronnie’s Care, Jim Petitjean Acadia Parish Tax assessor, Richard’s, Delta Fire & Safety, Napa Auto Parts, James O. Meche State Farm Insurance, Bob’s Tree Preservatio...

 Date Added 2019-06-03



    What is happening with your fire protection?
 
    Fire hydrants; those things that stick up out of the ground that supposedly dogs love, and they are a symbol of the firefighter. Pictures show fire engines hooked to them and at times children playing in the water that comes from them.

      How about a little more about fire hydrants? Some may know about them but maybe some do not. Who owns the fire hydrants? Though their main purpose is to...

 Date Added 2019-05-20

 
     What is happening with your fire protection?
 
    Last week a major electric wire broke along E. Plaquemine St. in Church Point as most residents probably heard about or were possibly one of those who experienced the outage since it was fairly extensive. It was witnessed you could say, by some people at a business close by, one of which was a volunteer firefighter. It was reported to 911 and they paged out the fire department. It does not always happen, but in ...

 Date Added 2019-05-06

   What is happening with your fire protection?
 
      ‪May 12‬ is Mother’s Day. We would like to take this time to wish all Mothers a Happy Mother’s Day. We would like also to particularly recognize the mothers of firefighters, mothers married to firefighters and mothers who are firefighters. Being a mother has its own challenges and reasons for anxiety. If you add to that the factor of firefighting it raises the bar you might say. To these we say a special Thank Yo...

 Date Added 2019-04-29




     What is happening with your fire protection?
 
       We drove the trucks. Was it to a fire, and accident, what emergency was it for? Actually, it was simply to keep the trucks workable and to test for problems. A vehicle needs to be brought up to temperature and run every so often to keep the lubrication fresh and in place, evaporate any moisture that may have accumulated, and burn out any carbon that may accumulate on short run operations. These...

 Date Added 2019-04-24

is happening with your fire protection?
 
     Most likely you heard or read of the fire in the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. It was a tragic event as any fire is, and the loss is greatly felt whether it is a landmark or a private dwelling, for both contain irreplaceable items. As I read of the response to the fire and the difficulty especially in the beginning, I thought of this, “I wonder if they were truly prepared for something this big”. I realize no matter how prepar...

 Date Added 2019-04-08




     What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     Our Annual Care Show is coming up ‪June 1.‬ This is our third year and we have it in our future plans to have it at this time every year so you can plan ahead. This year, along with the cars, trucks and motorcycles we had last year, we have a tractor division. I would say this, if you have something along the show lines that you have a question about give us a call. We may be able to fit it in....

 Date Added 2019-04-01

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     The Fire Chief and I recently attended the Louisiana Fire Chiefs Association annual conference. There were many classes over a week-long agenda. There were pre-conference classes during the beginning of the week and also scheduled classes during the conference itself. Classes focused on PIAL, communication across generational differences, work related trauma, burn disasters, and firefighter workplace rights. There were many uns...

 Date Added 2019-03-26



     What is happening with your fire protection?
 
       The weather is warming up and the grass is growing faster. Please take these two things into consideration.

     First, as you look after the yardwork, look after your physical health as well. Be aware of the signals your body gives you. Stay hydrated. If your mouth gets dry you may not be drinking enough “water”. If you feel weak or dizzy you may not have taken the time to eat en...

 Date Added 2019-03-18




What is happening with your fire protection?
 
          ‪Saturday March 30, 2019 at 11:00 AM‬ there will be a ceremony at ‪8181 Independence Blvd, Baton Rouge, La.‬ honoring the fallen firefighters of Louisiana. It will be held at the Fallen Firefighter Memorial close to the Fire Marshal Office. A record is kept of all Line of Duty Deaths and once a year a memorial service is conducted to honor those from the previous year and those that have d...

 Date Added 2019-03-11

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     Long- and short-term planning on multiple projects.

     One of the projects on our agenda is the annual fire department car show. It is coming up ‪June 1‬ but just under 3 months will seem like a short time as we put everything together. This year we are expanding to not only include cars, trucks and motorcycles but also, we are looking for tractors to bring in, after all, this is also a farming community ...

 Date Added 2019-03-04




     What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     Who you gonna call? Does this ring a bell? Maybe you did not watch tv too much or maybe the wrong generation if not. The question is relevant today. Who you gonna call if there is no fire department? I know, 911, but if there is no fire department for them to call the answer is still the same. If it is not a law enforcement issue, or a medical issue, who you gonna call? Many fire departments starte...

 Date Added 2019-02-25



     What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     750 gallons per minute, 1,100 gallons per minute, 1,500 gallons per minute, just figures on a page, but they have some pretty important impacts with the fire department. 750 gallons per minute is a fairly insignificant number, but in fact it is the amount of water the basic initial setup to fight a standard residence fire. It is the basic output of two 2.5 inch fire hoses and two 1.5 inch fire hoses. In t...

 Date Added 2019-02-19

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
    It was 10:00 P.M. last Wednesday. I had worked 8 hours, came home and then went to the church Bible study. After church I spent a bit of time with my family and prepared to sit down to do some writing. I was tired but this writing had to be done. The fire pager went off for a medical call. My first thought was, I hope it is not our call I need to get done writing. Wait, yes, it is our call, maybe it is nothing, a test, no, too la...

 Date Added 2019-02-11




     What is happening with your fire protection?
 
   Valentines Day. This week I would like to send a reminder to all Emergency Service Responders to take a little extra time and effort to let those you leave behind as you run out the door, know how important and special they are to you. It is important that they know they are a big reason you are, able to do, what it is that you do.

     I would also like to remind those that are left b...

 Date Added 2019-02-04



     What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     We have written about it before, but it does need to be kept in mind because it is still a big problem in our fire district. Many houses are still lacking visible house numbers in our district. Valuable time is lost when your house can not be identified. This problem impacts not only the fire department but also the police and the ambulance services.

    If you live within the school distr...

 Date Added 2019-01-29

is happening with your fire protection?
 
     I would like to address a question that has been presented about the operation of the Fire Service in our area, Acadia Parish Fire Protection District #10. The fire protection district and the Church Point Volunteer Fire Department are two separate entities, though they operate together. They have two different budgets and two different revenue sources.

      The fire protection district is authorized by the Acadi...

 Date Added 2019-01-21

    What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     Consider this: You live outside the town limits of Church Point. It is ‪9:00 P.M.‬ you are feeling strange, your mouth feels drawn, one arm seems sluggish, and your family is asking if you feel ok. 911 is called, an ambulance and the trained medical first responders with the fire department are dispatched. Most of the time if the above symptoms have been relayed to the dispatcher, a medical helicopter is launched bec...

 Date Added 2019-01-14

     What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     I realize to some it may have felt like last week’s column ended abruptly and left you sort of hanging. It was not intentional at the time, but it does sort of give a bit of the feeling you get at times being “on call” ‪24/7‬. It takes a little will power to be able to put it aside not let it wear at your mind. The anxiety is even more heightened during certain holidays, festival times and weather conditions....

 Date Added 2018-12-31



     What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     A new year. It is not too late to start fresh with best safe practices this year. As a matter of fact, it is a good time. It should be our goal to improve our life every chance we get. Choose to be a better driver, especially important since they say there are more distracted drivers on the road than ever before. Whether you are the distracted driver, or you need to be more alert to avoid one, either is a...

 Date Added 2018-12-24

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     Again, like most people we are working to finish what needs to be completed by the end of the year. For many this means finishing up with the Christmas decorations and “gifts” and completing last minute final plans for New Years Eve parties or family gatherings. In the hustle and bustle of these activities take a little extra time and put safety in your plans. As you pack away your Christmas décor, examine it to see if it ...

 Date Added 2018-12-18



What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     Like most people we are working to finish what needs to be completed by the end of the year. For many this means last minute Christmas shopping or final plans for parties or family gatherings. For the fire department what happens in a certain year is important because many of our evaluations have required time stamps. In the hustle and bustle of “year end” activities take a little time to be thankful for famil...

 Date Added 2018-12-03

    What is happening with your fire protection?
 
      We have mentioned this before but it still needs attention. We have run across an often critical situation which is hindering our response time to an emergency. Consider this scenario: It is ‪10:30 PM‬, you are alone, you have just gotten comfortable for the night and you feel tightness in your chest, your breathing becomes labored, and you begin feeling weak. Fearing that dreaded heart attack you immediately call ...

 Date Added 2018-11-26

   What is happening with your fire protection?
 
    Thanksgiving is just passed and many ramp up to Christmas starting the day after. It is an unfortunate fact that many avoidable accidents are associated with big holidays. There is an increase in temporary electrical connections, an increase in climbing to install these connections and the decorations they feed power to, and usually there is a need for speed it seems. It seems the Christmas tree comes up as early as possible...

 Date Added 2018-11-20

  What is happening with your fire protection?
 
      Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a public holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. It originated as a harvest festival. ... The event that Americans commonly call the "First Thanksgiving" was celebrated by the Pilgrims after their first harvest in the New World in October 1621.

       Though we should be thankful always, we would like to take this particular opport...

 Date Added 2018-11-12

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     The November election has come and gone. We would like to thank everyone who took time to go vote. It is a great responsibility and privilege that we are given in this country. Outcomes of elections are good or bad depending on what you expected but the outcome of elections do tell the desire of the ones who do vote.

       It was our hope that armed with the information that we used to decide to put this $25...

 Date Added 2018-10-29

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
          Over the past few months we have tried to give a clear picture of the operational history of the Acadia Parish Fire Protection District 10, what has been accomplished so far, the evaluation process of where we are currently, and the projections of what we see in the near and not so near future. We have given the facts and figures in hope that you can make an educated evaluation yourself. We have been open to questions...

 Date Added 2018-10-22

    What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     I would like to show the relationship between the Fire parcel fees and your home or business insurance rates. Though I cannot state what your insurance rates are, there is a direct relationship when it comes to the fire rating. The fire rating is a number given by PIAL when a fire department is graded every 5 years or at random in between. This is a number of 1 through 10 with a 10 being the worst or highest insurance fa...

 Date Added 2018-10-15

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     Looking forward over the next few years from where the fire district and fire department currently stands and comparing it to what it will face in changes and equipment needs, we have projected what will be needed to maintain and improve our fire rating and insurance rates. Our next evaluation is in approximately 4 years and then in 9 years if we do not get a random inspection in between.

    Our current average...

 Date Added 2018-10-01

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
    This week I would like to step back a bit and look from inside the fire service outward. We in the fire service do indeed respond literally to emergencies of all kinds and we do train to be as ready to meet the challenges of each but this week I want to turn your focus to some very much needed assistance that arrives as well.

    The first is “Law Enforcement” on all levels. Depending on where the call is, on ...

 Date Added 2018-09-25

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
   By the time this week’s publication is in mailboxes, a very specific and important fire training will have taken place. This training is called a live burn, or flash over training. In order for a firefighter to participate in this training certain preliminary trainings must be documented. Also, a classroom part of the instruction must be completed. Before each firefighter participates, medical vitals must be taken to insure safet...

 Date Added 2018-09-10


     What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     As we have recently been reminded, hurricanes are part of our ever changing weather system. It is important to be prepared should one of these systems impact the area that you live in. Heavy winds are one of the characteristics that frequently come with hurricanes even if your area does not receive a “direct hit”. Often when these storms get close there is a scramble to secure everything that might blow away...

 Date Added 2018-09-03

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
       It will never happen to me, it happens to others, lightening never strikes twice in the same place (this is a myth by the way), and most likely many other sayings, spoken or not spoken are reasons, (excuses) why we are not prepared to prevent or minimize many emergencies. Granted I cannot say all emergencies are avoidable or preventable but often they can be minimized.

      As a firefighter I have an inte...

 Date Added 2018-08-28



       Last week I was able to attend a “pipeline awareness and safety” seminar. By the way, statutes require that these seminars are held to remind and educate emergency responders and excavator operators are made aware of the dangers and what to do in case of an emergency. This is not to say pipelines are unsafe for there are many precautions in place and relatively few incidents occur. Included in those relatively few incidents are avoidable incidents caused by simple ...

 Date Added 2018-08-20

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     I know schools have been in session for a bit, but this warning is still much needed. “Please be extra careful when driving during active school bus times”. It is easy sometimes to blame, other drivers, children not paying attention, or a wide variety of other things but the bottom line is no matter who is at fault an accident is never a good thing.

     In reality, we indeed do need to be alert and careful...

 Date Added 2018-08-06

  What is happening with your fire protection?
 
      I would like to write on the subject: “The Power of One”. Often you hear people say, “but I am just one person”. They may also add the phrase: What can I do? Does this sound familiar? You may ask what does the power of one have to do with the fire service, I thought it was all about team, comradery, and the joint effort of all? To that I would say yes …. And no.

     Consider this. Church Point d...

 Date Added 2018-07-31

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
      I would like to write on a subject that comes up quite often in the emergency service. That subject is false alarms. Just to clarify, a false alarm is basically a call that goes out to 911 for assistance with a perceived emergency which upon arrival or investigation is determined to be no threat or true emergency. It is not a false call intentionally made for some other reason.

     We do get many false alarm...

 Date Added 2018-07-23

  What is happening with your fire protection?
 
   We have been getting some rain but do keep in mind that the grass and soil dry up very quickly around this time. It may have rained a few days ago and a decision is made to burn off some grass or a brush pile. Do observe extreme safety precautions. Ask and find the answers to a few questions: Can this fire spread either by following a fuel source of by the wind, either as it is blowing or by changing direction? Do I have enough ...

 Date Added 2018-07-17

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
      This week I would like to give a simple reminder to be alert when driving, particularly when approaching emergency scenes. There are times when as firefighters we must block the road, or detour traffic, for the safety of those that would pass, the emergency responders, the safety of those involved, or the safety of workers working to restore what is damaged. First, understand that we do not block the road or detour traffic un...

 Date Added 2018-07-09


     What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     I realize last weeks column was a lot of information to digest. As we stated before we will continue to study the changes in the ways fire is fought and the way that our insurance score is graded. We try to gather information from every reliable source available to us and evaluate the most efficient course of action. We must meet certain goals to simply maintain the PIAL rating and insurance rate we have achieve...

 Date Added 2018-07-02


What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     Looking forward over the next few years from where the fire district and fire department currently stands and comparing it to what it will face in changes and equipment needs, we have projected what will be needed to maintain and improve our fire rating and insurance rates. Our next evaluation is in approximately 4 years and then in 9 years if we do not get a random inspection in between.

    Our current ...

 Date Added 2018-06-18

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     I am writing from the road this week. I took a trip to Tennessee and Indiana to visit family. As I write this I am in Indiana at my old stomping ground. I would like to present a perspective this week of “relief” may be the best word.

     As I traveled I witnessed different things that made me think of our town and fire department. I would see an accident on the side of the road and see emergency personnel...

 Date Added 2018-06-11

    What is happening with your fire protection?
 
    Gratitude and thanks. Yes, that is what is going on this week even still. Saturday, June 2 the Church Point Volunteer Fire Department hosted our annual car show. This should have been the third, but the weather did not cooperate last year and after 3 attempts we could not get schedules to line up so we had to cancel, so this was our second successful car show. Yes, and may I emphasize “successful”. Though this car show...

 Date Added 2018-06-06



     What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     This week I will be a bit shorter because I want to focus on a simple main theme. That theme is, there is a well thought out reason and plan for what we are working at. As we outlined in the column last week, over the last 11 years we have kept short and long-term objectives. The PIAL ratings, which set the insurance rates, are evaluated a minimum of every 5 years but there is always the possibility of a ...

 Date Added 2018-05-28

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
    This week I would like to give some background on the fire district from a financial standpoint from the forming till the present, representing 11 years. These figures are in round numbers but will give you a good idea of where the revenue was used. The reason for the forming of the district was there were not enough funds available to keep the necessary equipment bought, and training, and expenses paid and to keep fire service a...

 Date Added 2018-05-21

    What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     First to correct a grammatical typo from last week. The last paragraph, line three should have said “After approval of the Acadia Parish Police Jury to proceed …”,“ not, precede”.

    Second I would like to detour this week to an event coming up shortly in Church Point and time is running out. The Church Point Volunteer Fire Department is excited to announce that we will have our 3rd annual Open...

 Date Added 2018-05-14



What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     In 2006 as authorized by the Acadia Parish Police Jury, it was put on the ballot to ask you, the voting population of the proposed Acadia Parish Fire Protection District 10, if you wanted a Fire Protection District and have it funded by a $50.00 per year parcel fee. A majority did vote to form that district and it became so. Since that time under the direction of the fire board with the Church Point Volunteer Fire...

 Date Added 2018-05-07

    What is happening with your fire protection?
 
      You ever heard the one about the employee who stormed into the boss’s office and declared he was overworked because he was doing the work of three men. The boss demanded to know who the other two were, so he could fire them. The fire service, generally speaking, is having some difficulty obtaining and retaining firefighters, not only in the volunteer ranks but also in the career. This is a serious situation. Unfortun...

 Date Added 2018-04-30

   What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     A very intense discussion. When, well quite often actually. I would like to give a bit of insight into what moves and makes decisions within the fire department, and also, the fire district. Consider this; while at a training out of town myself and the fire chief, “at breakfast” run into a firefighter that is knowledgeable and respected in firefighting and the PIAL guidelines. It is enjoyable to talk “shop” with a ...

 Date Added 2018-04-23

   What is happening with your fire protection?
 
      Training is on the agenda today. There are multiple aspects of training needed when it comes to the fire service. One such training which has been determined has much validity and need is what is called CISM. These letters stand for Critical Incident Stress Management. In the fire service and all emergency services there are many factors that can cause extreme stress not only from sudden extreme causes but also for compo...

 Date Added 2018-04-16

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
    A thank you. Yes, a thank you. To all the boys and girls that see the big red fire truck and wave and pump your hand to hear the horn blow or the siren wail. Why, because it helps to make us proud to be firefighters and reminds us that someone spoke well of us enough to make them enjoy seeing us.

   Yes, a thank you, to all the parents and relatives that speak honorably of the emergency services so that respect rem...

 Date Added 2018-04-09

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
    I would like to encourage everyone to check the visibility of your house numbers. Sometimes even though you have them the color has faded, and they cannot be seen clearly. If you do not have house numbers, it is important that you have them. Seconds seem like minutes when you are waiting, and it can add considerable time while we determine which house we are looking for. It is especially important for medical calls because you ar...

 Date Added 2018-04-02

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
    SCBA just 4 letters, but in the fire service, they are very important letters. There is a set of 5 letters you may have seen more often. Those letters are SCUBA. These stand for Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus, which it the equipment divers use because “man cannot breathe water” and live. I know, you knew that, but consider this; SCBA stands for Self Contained Breathing Apparatus which is the equipment firefight...

 Date Added 2018-03-26

    What is happening with your fire protection?
 
      Ah! Spring. That season of a few days where it is not too cold and not too hot. Everything is opening up fresh and many take this opportunity to open up the house and air it out. Spring cleaning takes place and it feels like a new beginning.

      Yes, Spring and with the refreshing season it is a good time to review your emergency plans and preparations. Just where are those fire extinguishers and ar...

 Date Added 2018-03-20

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     Accountability. It is one of those words that relates to us all but is sometimes forgotten. It is one of those things that keeps things in balance. The Acadia Parish Fire Protection District 10 and the Church Point Volunteer Fire Department have a multi-faceted accountability pattern.

     First as the “fire fighting agent” for the Acadia Parish Fire Protection District 10 the Church Point Volunteer Fire De...

 Date Added 2018-03-13

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     Planning is one of those things that often takes some real deep thought. When it comes to business there are a lot of variables that have to be factored in. Depending on what type of planning you are doing it can range from simple scheduling of time and personnel to trying to determine what equipment will need to be purchased in the future. Factors such as available capital and market trends can weigh heavily in the picture.

 Date Added 2018-03-07

Notice of Public Meeting
Date & Time of Notice: 03/07/18 10:00 A.M.

A public meeting will be held as follows:

Date: 03/08/2018

Time: 05:00 P.M.

Place of meeting: Church Point Volunteer Fireman’s Association Hall

Acadia Parish Fire Protection District #10

MEETING AGENDA

Call to order
Pledge of Allegiance & Prayer
Roll Call
Action/Discussion Items:
Parcel Fee resolution vo...

 Date Added 2018-03-06

   What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     Time Change is ‪March 11.‬ This is a very important date. For one if you forget to set your clocks forward, “spring forward”, you may not be on time for work or appointments. There is also a very important recommendation connected with this event. It is recommended that you change the batteries on your smoke detectors and test the detector to make sure it is functioning. If you look around your house for your smoke...

 Date Added 2018-02-28


     What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     This week I would like to post a simple reminder. Spring weather and some dryer days often sparks the desire to clean up the yard and landscapes. Often as dead vegetation is removed it is piled and burned. Take a few minutes and truly look at the safety concerns. First of all, there is usually quite a bit of dead stuff left after most has been cleared up. This can allow a fire to spread and it does not take long...

 Date Added 2018-02-19

    What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     The NFL is not run by armchair quarterbacks and coaches. Some statement, Huh? If we think about it, we could come up with some pretty good reason why it would not work. They do not have the knowledge, they do not know what is going on behind the scenes, they do not know the people, and the list could go on. There are some who would have a better chance at it than others, and the reason is they take it upon themselves to ...

 Date Added 2018-02-12

I was listening to commercials the other day and many of those that were offering ads for charity or products declared it was only “so much a week” or “so much a day. Sometimes it is good to step back at do a cost evaluation of certain things. I pay about $99.00 per year for my office software, because I need to have up to date software, about $1.90 per week. I do not drink carbonated drinks any more but if you buy these even on sale at 3 for $10.00 in 12 packs and you drink one a day it, ...

 Date Added 2018-02-05

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     We mentioned a couple weeks ago the cost of fire trucks. Initial cost of course is a big expense but as with any “business” capital purchase is just the tip of the iceberg so to speak. Currently the Acadia Parish Fire Protection District 10 keeps and maintains 9 units. There are 2 pumpers, 2 pumper/tankers, 1 tanker, 2 service units, 1 brush truck/personnel carrier, and one rapid response/personnel carrier. All of these pie...

 Date Added 2018-01-31

Notice of Public Meeting
Date & Time of Notice: 01/31/2018 08:00 A.M.

A public meeting will be held as follows:

Date: 02/01/2018

Time: 05:30 P.M.

Place of meeting: Church Point Volunteer Fireman’s Association Hall

Acadia Parish Fire Protection District #10

MEETING AGENDA

Call to order

Pledge of Allegiance & Prayer
Roll Call
Approval of last meeting minutes
Revised...

 Date Added 2018-01-29

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     This week, some excellent news in communication. Communication is one of those great tools that at times sort of gets taken for granted, that is until it fails. Acadia Parish fire departments have applied more than one time for a parish wide communication grant. It was finally awarded and for the most part it has been put on line and is active. This grant creates parish wide communication inter-operability. Broken down it looks...

 Date Added 2018-01-22

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
         We have mentioned many times before the letters PIAL. This is the Property Insurance Association of Louisiana. This is the organization that evaluates a municipality or fire district as ours. Based on many factors between water supply, whether by fire hydrants or hauled from water sources, multiple factors as training, equipment they say we should have, response times, communication abilities, and others, they calculate...

 Date Added 2018-01-15

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
         2017 is for the most part what we would call a good year as far as call outs are concerned. Ultimately the best year would be no calls at all but as far as averages our call out numbers were down. As already reported from our banquet report we answered 192 calls of which 105 were medical related. There is a trend that shows more and more fire departments do answer more medical calls than they used to. Fire safety educat...

 Date Added 2018-01-10


Notice of Public Meeting
Date & Time of Notice: 01/10/2018 08:00 A.M.
 
A public meeting will be held as follows:
 
Date: 01/11/2018
 
Time: 05:30 P.M.
 
Place of meeting: Church Point Volunteer Fireman’s Association Hall

Acadia Parish Fire Protection District #10

MEETING AGENDA

Call to order
Pledge of Allegiance & Prayer
Roll Call
Approval of last meeting minutes
Rev...

 Date Added 2018-01-09

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
       Are you still writing 2017 instead of 2018? Old habits are hard to break. We are creatures of habit. Information varies on how long it takes to form a habit and then how long it takes to get out of one habit and then form a new one. The truth of it is simply this, regardless of how long it takes, the need to change a habit depends on whether it is a good one or a bad one. As with the writing of the year, sometimes the habit...

 Date Added 2018-01-02

What is happening with your fire protection?

      I would like to simply remind you of some simple real facts and ask your assistance. The Church Point Volunteer Fire Department is made up of men and women like you who have a desire to serve the community by providing emergency services to the community that would not otherwise be provided. These men and women volunteer their time above and beyond their normal schedules and sometimes in place of their normal schedules. Even v...

 Date Added 2017-12-25

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
  Another “New Year”. What will this new year bring. Of course, for the most part the future is unknown to us, but there are parts of it that we can have a great influence on. One of these parts is the attitude with which we approach a new year. As a fire department we would like to ask you to approach the new year and each day with an attitude of safety. Our busy lifestyles often beg us to take shortcuts or focus new tasks before ...

 Date Added 2017-12-11

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
    ‪Thursday, December 14, 2017‬ SGT Kermit J. LeJeune will be laid to rest. I realize if you did not know this man or the story of this man this may have little impact on your life. I wish to bring this man relevant to your life, especially if you live in America. This man died in 1951 in a Korean prisoner of war camp. This man and many other people like him are one of those special people that even if we never knew them and th...

 Date Added 2017-12-04

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
    Have you seen them yet, “the Christmas Decorations”? Yes they are out there already. This is not to say they are early but have you noticed. I will agree lights and decorations are very pretty and I do enjoy them, but I have a bit of a downside from my perspective. I cannot help but wonder if electrical safety was in the minds of the creators as they built the “creative displays”. Here are just a few “points to ponder...

 Date Added 2017-11-27

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
      As we said last week we are thankful for the support of the community. We have tried to select topics of interest or concern in our articles each week. As hard as we try to cover a wide range and even over time most of the topics concerning our district I am sure we miss some or maybe there is one that you would like to see us cover. Granted some topics cannot be discussed in detail and some maybe not at all on this venue bec...

 Date Added 2017-11-20

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
      Just a Quick note. Take time to be thankful. When you gather with family and friends, take time to be thankful. In honor of Thanksgiving Day I would like to take this time to say we are thankful for the support that has been given to the fire department now and over the years. I realize we provide a service but without your support our job could be more difficult and sometimes impossible. Thank You Church Point area and citiz...

 Date Added 2017-11-14

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     Thanksgiving is coming up fast. Around this time among all the other activities there is a lot of cooking going on. Schedules get tight and the food must go on. We would like to sincerely remind everyone to take just a little bit of time and make room for safety. Think your plan through. Inspect cooking equipment, especially the pieces that have not been used recently. Mistakes often occur when trying to figure it out on the fl...

 Date Added 2017-11-06

Notice of Public Meeting
Date & Time of Notice: 11/06/2017 05:00 P.M.

A public meeting will be held as follows:

Date: 11/07/2017

Time: 05:30 P.M.

Place of meeting: Church Point Volunteer Fireman’s Association Hall

Acadia Parish Fire Protection District #10

MEETING AGENDA

Call to order
Pledge of Allegiance & Prayer
Roll Call
Approval of last meeting minutes
Revised Agenda...

 Date Added 2017-11-06

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     Just little about season changes. Our weather is cooling as mentioned before and it is possible we will see things we are not used to, and they will seem out of place and possibly bring concern. First, I want to say when in doubt call 911. It is better a false alarm than a failure to call.

     One of the things we may see during this time of year is frost on the roof. Maybe not much but just a little. Then as ...

 Date Added 2017-10-30

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     Fire education is happening. We have mentioned the need for Fire Education not only for the benefit of being safe but to benefit fire ratings. By the way as with many fields there are those words that are repeated year after year and the same is true in the fire service. What words, well; documentation, qualification, re-certification, documented history, etc. In other words, once is not enough you must show consistent recorded...

 Date Added 2017-10-09

What is happening with your fire protection?

Cooler weather. Yes, it is time to think about cooler weather, at least in the mornings. Maybe better said it is time to prepare for cooler mornings. As the nights are cooler sometimes there is a chill in the mornings and the tendency to “need a bit of heat” to take that chill off. Small electric heaters or kerosene heaters often come into play at this time. It is important that these appliances are checked out to make sure they ...

 Date Added 2017-10-07


Notice of Public Meeting
Date & Time of Notice: 10/07/2017 10:00 A.M.

A public meeting will be held as follows:

Date: 10/09/2017

Time: 05:30 P.M.

Place of meeting: Church Point Volunteer Fireman’s Association Hall

Acadia Parish Fire Protection District #10

MEETING AGENDA

Call to order
Pledge of Allegiance & Prayer
Roll Call
Approval of last meeting minutes
Revised...

 Date Added 2017-10-02

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
     We have been following up on the items you helped gather for the relief effort in Texas. After following up on different leads that seemed to fizzle or not offer satisfaction of delivery, we were able to find a connection through homeland security and followed up to insure success. We were able to connect through contacts within United Way and found direct relief was being sent to the town of Bay City, Texas. Fire Chief Raymond...

 Date Added 2017-08-23

What is happening with your fire protection?

Have you ever considered the weight of the gear that a firefighter must wear to protect himself while fighting the fire. A complete set of gear with air pac weighs from 80 to 100 pounds. The airpac has a pressurized air tank, which if made of steel alone can weigh around 24 pounds. Steel was the norm for a long time, but they now have a composite bottle which weighs around 7 to 8 pounds. This reduced weight means less fatigue on the fire...

 Date Added 2017-08-14

What is happening with your fire protection?

School is back in session and that means that the children in town are up and around in greater numbers at the same time a greater number of people are heading out to work. The same is true in the evening as workers arrive back in town many of the students are heading home or getting out of after school activities. Please be extra careful.

Another part of back to school are papers and essays. Sometimes it is hard to de...

 Date Added 2017-08-07

One of the things we do at the Church Point Volunteer Fire Department that has a double benefit for the community is Fire Education. On a regular basis we are invited to schools to promote our Fire Education Program which teaches fire safety and fire prevention. It is a fun part of our fire service work because we get to interact with the children and they enjoy seeing the truck and seeing us shoot water. Though it is fun this is not part of the double benefit. One part of the benefit is the chi...

 Date Added 2017-07-31

What is happening with your fire protection?

As we mentioned last week July 20 - 22 some of our firefighters attended the Louisiana State Firemen’s Association annual conference in Houma La. One of the classes we attended was “Understanding and Mitigating New Vehicle Technology Rescue Challenges”. This was a very intense class which if we were to summarize you could say it taught us that though design changes in vehicles evolve to keep the occupants safe, it adds challen...

 Date Added 2017-07-24

What is happening with your fire protection?

July 20 - 22 some of our firefighters attended the Louisiana State Firemen’s Association annual conference in Houma La. During these conferences there are many classes held to pass along new information or to reinforce or guide current initiatives applicable to the fire service. Usually there are classes all day Friday and some on Saturday morning. They try to push as much training in as they can for the few short hours we are th...

 Date Added 2017-07-17

What is happening with your fire protection?

Saturday August 5 the CPVFD is hosting a car show. Some would ask why does the fire department need to have fundraisers. When the fire district was formed there became two distinct yet it many ways joined entities of the fire service for the Church Point area. Before the fire district was formed the fire department received some funding from the town of Church Point (around 25 or 30 thousand a year) and we also then held fundraisers....

 Date Added 2017-07-10

What is happening with your fire protection?

What or who do you need to be in order to be a good firefighter. I mean, shouldn’t your regular job be along the same line as what you would do as a firefighter? The answer is not at all. Actually you could say most volunteer firefighters do not have jobs related to firefighting. Firefighting is the other set of skills they have added to resume’. Training is provided in multiple ways to provide the levels of training you need o...

 Date Added 2017-07-05

Notice of Public Meeting
Date & Time of Notice: 07/06/2017 09:00 A.M.
 
A public meeting will be held as follows:
 
Date: 07/06/2017
 
Time: 05:30 P.M.
 
Place of meeting: Church Point Volunteer Fireman’s Association Hall

Acadia Parish Fire Protection District #10
MEETING AGENDA
__________________________________________________


Call to order
Pledge of Allegiance & Prayer
Roll Cal...

 Date Added 2017-06-26

What is happening with your fire protection?

Volunteerism; the policy or practice of volunteering one's time or talents for charitable, educational, or other worthwhile activities, especially in one's community. The fire department would definitely be considered a worthwhile activity. Consider a real scenario. Fire alarm for house goes out and firefighters respond. Because of the time of day 10 people arrive to fight the fire. The job got done and done well as a matter of fact...

 Date Added 2017-06-19

What is happening with your fire protection?

Just a few very simple statements this week to remind us who the Church Point Volunteer Fire Department is. The Church Point Volunteer Fire Department is very simply a select few of your neighbors who have taken responsibility to take time to train and then respond to emergencies that happen to “YOU” when they occur. Their training time and the time to respond to your emergency is volunteered to you and the pursuit of your safe...

 Date Added 2017-06-12

What is happening with your fire protection?

Just a bit of good news which we will expound on more a bit later. We just went through our PIAL fire rating which is done a minimum of every 5 years. The rules had been changed and we were warned on different occasions to expect to lose one level because of these changes. It is rated as 10 being the worst and 1 being the best. We had worked it down to a 5 in our rating 5 years ago so if predictions were correct, we would have been...

 Date Added 2017-06-05

What is happening with your fire protection?

Well hopefully the word had gotten out, we tried to spread it as much as we could but if you went to the park last week for the car show and did not find it, it is because due to the forecasted bad weather we postponed it to Saturday August 5, 2017. Weather is one of those things we still cannot control. We have to be adjustable, and prepared if it changes.

The mention of weather reminded me that very often when we...

 Date Added 2017-05-31


Notice of Public Meeting
Date & Time of Notice: 05/30/2017 09:00 A.M.
 
A public meeting will be held as follows:
 
Date: 06/01/2017
 
Time: 05:30 P.M.
 
Place of meeting: Church Point Volunteer Fireman’s Association Hall

Acadia Parish Fire Protection District #10
MEETING AGENDA

Call to order
Pledge of Allegiance & Prayer
Roll Call
Approval of last meeting minutes
Revised Ag...

 Date Added 2017-05-29

What is happening with your fire protection?

Monday May 29 is Memorial Day. Memorial Day is observed in many ways by different people. Often there are sales in stores and many picnics and cookouts. Traditionally Memorial Day is a day to honor and remember the many, many lives that have been given in the fight for the freedoms we enjoy. Though it is fitting that we do set aside a special day, it would be impossible to fit the gratitude we should have for these fallen into one ...

 Date Added 2017-05-22

What is happening with your fire protection?

Two members of the Church Point Volunteer Fire Department completed another two day training class for CISM.

Critical Incident Stress Management, commonly called CISM. This is the title given to training for people who are on teams that respond to emergency personnel after a critical incident. Everyone has different levels of stress in their lives. The level rises and falls depending on events that happen during...

 Date Added 2017-05-15

What is happening with your fire protection?

We have mentioned before the need for new people to join our volunteer fire department. The need is a real one for well-trained firefighters age and other factors come into play that diminish the active force. It is true that the volunteer fire service is not a good fit for everyone but basically you may never know till you try. That scenario was true for me. I became the chaplain to assist in that capacity and was ask to join as r...

 Date Added 2017-05-08

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
   We mentioned last week about finding you in time in regard to house numbers. This week I would like to focus on getting you out in time or more specifically flying you out if necessary.

Every year the Church Point Volunteer Fire Department attends a very important training session that could greatly impact the medical response in our area. That training is an Airmed Night Landing Class. Often we see Airmed helicopt...

 Date Added 2017-05-03


Notice of Public Meeting
Date & Time of Notice: 05/03/2017 09:00 A.M.
 
A public meeting will be held as follows:
 
Date: 05/04/2017
 
Time: 05:30 P.M.
 
Place of meeting: Church Point Volunteer Fireman’s Association Hall

Acadia Parish Fire Protection District #10
MEETING AGENDA
__________________________________________________

Call to order
Pledge of Allegiance & Prayer
Roll Cal...

 Date Added 2017-05-01

What is happening with your fire protection?

We have mentioned this before but it still needs attention. We have run across an often critical situation which is hindering our response time to an emergency. Consider this scenario: It is 10:30 PM, you are alone, you have just gotten comfortable for the night and you feel tightness in your chest, your breathing becomes labored, and you begin feeling weak. Fearing that dreaded heart attack you immediately call 911 to get assistan...

 Date Added 2017-04-24

What is happening with your fire protection?

Volunteer Firefighter. The word “volunteer” carries among others these definitions: 1. a person who voluntarily offers himself or herself for a service or undertaking. 2. a person who performs a service willingly and without pay. The word “firefighter” has the definition of: 1. a person who fights fires, usually a public employee or trained volunteer. These definitions would point us to the fact that even though volunteer fi...

 Date Added 2017-04-17

What is happening with your fire protection?

Fire extinguishers came to my attention this past week. If you have a business requiring fire extinguishers, the inspection on your fire extinguishers needs to be kept current. The main focus this week is basically residential though not just in your house. It is important to have “working” fire extinguishers readily available in your residence. Even a small fire extinguisher in a trained hand can be very effective. Did you catc...

 Date Added 2017-04-10

What is happening with your fire protection?

Sadly it appears the emphasis last week on distracted driving received an exclamation point in reality. News outlets reported an accident between a pickup truck and a church bus in Texas carrying people to a retreat hit head on. The impact killed 13 of 14 passengers on the bus. An eye witness reported the driver of the truck as saying “I was texting”. I cannot begin to imagine the feelings of all those connected to this tragic a...

 Date Added 2017-04-05


Notice of Public Meeting
Date & Time of Notice: 04/05/2017 09:00 A.M.
 
A public meeting will be held as follows:
 
Date: 04/06/2017
 
Time: 05:30 P.M.
 
Place of meeting: Church Point Volunteer Fireman’s Association Hall

Acadia Parish Fire Protection District #10
MEETING AGENDA
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Call to order<...

 Date Added 2017-04-03

What is happening with your fire protection?

I would like to use these lines to restress a very important safety hazard.
Very simply the main word in the hazard warning is “distracted”. I spend quite a bit of time on the road and I am pretty sure others whose jobs keep them on the road will agree with what I am about to say. Distracted driving is a real evident problem. A large number of vehicles on the road today are driven by people who are distracted from the imp...

 Date Added 2017-03-27



What is happening with your fire protection?

I noted this week a reminder of Louisiana Fallen Firefighter Memorial service that will be held on April 8, 11 - 12:30 on the Memorial grounds in Baton Rouge. This reminder brought back some memories of the opportunities I have had to attend these services and visit the Louisiana Fallen Firefighter Memorial. If you have never been there, I would highly recommend it. Even if you are not a firefighter it is a very moving...

 Date Added 2017-03-20


What is happening with your fire protection?

1 minute and 47 seconds. Not very much time if you think about it. The next time you put a snack in the microwave, check to see how long it is you set it for. I imagine it will be close to this time. You may be asking, what does this have to with the preparedness of the fire service? Before we see it completely, consider that the time drill for a firefighter to fully suit up in bunker gear complete with air tank and mask is ...

 Date Added 2017-03-13

What is happening with your fire protection?

We have focused quite a bit on the fire department personnel and equipment preparation in regards to fighting fires and insurance rating. Today I want to remind you of some important factors in these equations that are sometimes left out of our thoughts. One of these factors is the town infrastructure itself, specifically the water supply system, and the general structures of the town itself. There are specific equations concerning typ...

 Date Added 2017-03-06

What is happening with your fire protection?

Spring seems to be here already or at least the greenery seems to be in growth already. The CPVFD would like to remind you to be careful with your mowing equipment. Remember gasoline creates fumes that can accumulate and catch fire. Ask yourself if the place you store your gas can accumulate fumes in your house, garage, shed, etc. Remember that your mower has a hot exhaust when you shut it down and if there are grass clippings accumulate...

 Date Added 2017-03-02


Notice of Public Meeting
Date & Time of Notice: 03/01/2017 09:00 A.M.
 
A public meeting will be held as follows:
 
Date: 03/02/2017
 
Time: 05:30 P.M.
 
Place of meeting: Church Point Volunteer Fireman’s Association Hall

Acadia Parish Fire Protection District #10
MEETING AGENDA

Call to order
Pledge of Allegiance & Prayer
Roll Call
Approval of last meeting minutes
Revised Ag...

 Date Added 2017-02-27

What is happening with your fire protection?

Spring seems to be here already or at least the greenery seems to be in growth already. The CPVFD would like to remind you to be careful with your mowing equipment. Remember gasoline creates fumes that can accumulate and catch fire. Ask yourself if the place you store your gas can accumulate fumes in your house, garage, shed, etc. Remember that your mower has a hot exhaust when you shut it down and if there are grass clippings accumulate...

 Date Added 2017-02-27

Sunday 02/26/17 11:06 A M the Church Point Volunteer Fire Department received a page out for 113 Marie St residence is smoking. The Church Point Volunteer Fire Department responded to that call. Upon arrival it was noted that the address was actually 113 Michelle St and as fire personnel arrived on scene the fire was fully involved mainly on one side with smoke throughout and fire coming out of roof vents and eves. We were informed that the house was indeed empty at the time and no one was insid...

 Date Added 2017-02-20

What is happening with your fire protection?

Just a quick health reminder this week. Valentine’s Day has passed but there is another reason to think of hearts in February. February is American Heart Month. With all the thoughts of hearts this month it would be a good time to take a little time and “lovingly” consider yours.

Be aware, be prepared, and be safe. Non-emergency phone number 684-5429 askcpvfd@yahoo.com Check back next week. Berl Adams CPVFD...

 Date Added 2017-02-13

What is happening with your fire protection?

Fire and emergency preplans are the topic of our column today. Over the past years of the writing of this column we have used the word preplan 47 times before. Why do we bring it up again you may ask? The main reason is we have through the years had to go through all the preplans for the businesses in town which we have to have, and the thought came to mind of the importance of home preplanning not only for the residents but as a to...

 Date Added 2017-02-06


What is happening with your fire protection?

This coming Tuesday is Valentine’s Day. I realize there are many different religious and cultural views regarding this day but I would like to view it here as simply a reason to make an expression of love toward someone special in your life.

With that being said I would like to put our thoughts to those special people who make up the emergency service teams of our community. I refer to the firefighters, ...

 Date Added 2017-02-01


Notice of Public Meeting
Date & Time of Notice: Wednesday February 1 2017 09:30 A.M.

A public meeting will be held as follows:

Date: Thursday February 2, 2017

Time: 05:30 P.M.

Place of meeting: Church Point Volunteer Fireman’s Association Hall____________________________________________________
Acadia Parish Fire Protection District #10

Meeting Agenda

Call to order
Pledge of allegiance & ...

 Date Added 2017-01-30

What is happening with your fire protection?

There are a couple of things you may have that you do not realize could help the CPVFD a great deal as we respond to emergencies.

The first is a body of water like a pond or lake. The CPVFD does make calls out of town and there are no fire hydrants out there to draw from. We do carry water in the trucks we have but if we need more than we bring with us we have to go find a water source to refill from. One of thes...

 Date Added 2017-01-23



What is happening with your fire protection?

Just a word of explanation on a sensitive subject. Quite often as we are actively working an emergency scene, people passing by ask questions. These questions range from; did anyone get hurt, is everyone ok, were they wearing a seatbelt, to who lives here, who was involved, who was at fault, did anyone die, what caused it? We do indeed realize that people do have an interest, or even a concern, but these questions put ...

 Date Added 2017-01-16

What is happening with your fire protection?

Concerning “authorized” burning. Weather change is a way of life for our area. You don’t like the weather “Just wait a while”. That being said there is a need to consider the weather. We are called out to an unusually high number of calls that the explanation given is the wind shifted or the wind picked up. Granted this can happen unexpectedly but the unexpected should be when and not if. We know it is a pretty common happ...

 Date Added 2017-01-09

What is happening with your fire protection?

Consider two words, preparedness and procrastination. Ask yourself honestly which would describe you in regard to safety and emergency preparedness. An easy way to do a no cheat assessment is to put yourself mentally into an emergency scenario and assess your first thoughts. Say for instance “hurricane coming”………….. Now were your first thoughts “I have this ready, this plan in place, or I need to get a generator, I won...

 Date Added 2017-01-04


Notice of Public Meeting

Date & Time of Notice: January 4, 2017 @ 08:00 AM

A public meeting will be held as follows:
Date: January 5, 2017
Time: 5:30 PM

Place of meeting: Church Point Volunteer Fireman’s Association Hall
Acadia Parish Fire Protection District #10

MEETING AGENDA

Call to order
Pledge of allegiance & Prayer
Roll Call
Approval of last meeting minutes
Revised agenda

 Date Added 2016-12-26



What is happening with your fire protection?

We like everyone else are looking ahead to that rapidly approaching New Year. The phrase “next year” is heard quite a bit this time of year. At times it is like what is left of this year is overlooked while looking at the realm of the hopes of the coming fresh slate. A lot will be put into the escorting out of this old year and the ringing in of the new. One simple challenge and exhortation; whatever celebration you are...

Notice of Public Meeting  Date Added 2016-12-21

December 22, 2016 at 5:15pm
Place of Meeting: Church Point Volunteer Firemen's Association Hall

Agenda:

Call to order
Pledge of allegiance & Prayer
Roll Call
Approval of minutes from last meeting
Revised agenda

Action/Discussion items:

1. Report of Chairman
2. Appointment of Chairman
3. Appointment of Vice-Chairman
4. Financial Report
5. Duties of Secretary and Treasurer
6....

 Date Added 2016-12-19


What is happening with your fire protection?

Carbon Monoxide is a colorless, tasteless and odorless compound produced by incomplete combustion of carbon containing materials. It is often referred to as the "silent killer" because it is virtually undetectable without using detection. Elevated levels of Carbon Monoxide can be dangerous to humans depending on the amount present and length of exposure. Smaller concentrations can be harmful over longer periods of time while incr...

 Date Added 2016-12-12

What is happening with your fire protection?

It is just around the corner. Just a few more days. Are you ready yet? You know, Christmas. Oh you say please don’t ask. Has it already caused you stress? Oh no, enjoyment. Well that is good. Everything is ready, gifts all bought, tree up, lights up? Ok, wait tree and lights, real safety flag. Have you followed proper safety with the tree and lights? If a real tree make sure you water it regular and still check it regularly to see...

 Date Added 2016-12-05



What is happening with your fire protection?

Crunch time is upon us. The end of the year is drawing near. As it is with many businesses and individuals there are certain things that must be done by the end of the year. The same is true with the fire department. Every year has its regular closing requirements and certain years hold special importance regarding future milestones. This year has been one of those years for us. Next year is a big year as well but it w...

 Date Added 2016-11-28

What is happening with your fire protection?

I realize Thanksgiving has already passed but thankfulness is always in order. We would like to thank the community for the support we have received. A lot of what we do is out of the public eye unless it is a fire or emergency. Even though this is the case you have stood behind the fire department and allowed us to accomplish the progress we have made. There are still goals in our future that we are working toward, not just in certi...

 Date Added 2016-11-21

What is happening with your fire protection?
 
    Over the last five years (on a planned and scheduled five year plan) we have been working hard to bring the Church Point Volunteer Fire Department up to optimum level with all the new and latest firefighting skills as well as meeting compliance expectations of the latest PIAL (fire rating) recommendations. In addition to the regular training the firefighters are getting they are also achieving LSU Accredited Certifications, NIMS ...

 Date Added 2016-11-14

What is happening with your fire protection?

We mentioned our new fire engine last week and it is indeed a much needed addition to our fleet but we have added another vehicle to our fleet that you will see around town more and more and this is a sort of new service unit. PIAL requires certain numbers of equipment be dispatched certain calls and also a certain number be left in readiness for a second call out. This new service unit is not new but recently new to us. We were able...

 Date Added 2016-11-07

What is happening with your fire protection?

One more of the steps needed to help with the PIAL rating requirements as well as assisting in the fighting of fires was the addition of a new fire engine. As with any equipment that you use, after a time it becomes unreliable. We had been keeping an old engine as a reserve engine because it did count on our rating and it could help us in a pinch. Because of changes in the rating system which eliminated its value as a reserve and the g...

 Date Added 2016-10-31

What is happening with your fire protection?

One of the steps needed to help with the PIAL rating requirements is Fire Prevention. Fire Prevention for the most part is basically education for the purpose of preventing fires and thus fire related property loss and injury. Fire Prevention has been part of our program in the past but the focus toward this part of the fire service has increased so we are pushing to expand our program. In the past 3 months we have presented our fire p...

 Date Added 2016-10-24

What is happening with your fire protection?

Just one more step in the right direction. It is a simple statement and a very good motto to hold. Behind the scene so to speak this is what the Church Point Volunteer Fire Department is doing. Carefully and deliberately the leadership and the dedicated firefighters of the CPVFD have been working to step by step keep everything moving in the right direction to meet our fire service obligations as well as be prepared for the next PIA...

 Date Added 2016-10-17

What is happening with your fire protection?

It is early in the morning and the pagers for the fire department break into the silence. 911 has been called, there is an emergency somewhere in the Church Point area. The 911 system and the new communication system installed by the Fire District Board with your help, has worked perfectly. The emergency is large and requires a great deal of manpower. A bystander at the fire station, unaware of the emergency sees two vehicles roll up to ...

 Date Added 2016-10-10

What is happening with your fire protection?

Some would say you should never admit it, but even as firefighters with training and certifications we can make a misjudgment or incorrect decision during a fire. The art of firefighting is taking training and equipment and challenging an adversary which has characteristics that can be calculated “if” and it is a big “if” all the parameters can be determined. These parameters include the fuel, the heat, air supply and directi...

 Date Added 2016-10-03


What is happening with your fire protection?

I realize what I am about to write seems a bit out of place or at best early but cooler weather will creep into at least our nights sooner that we think. Now is the time get those heaters checked out. Why? well to prevent some dangerous scenarios.

It is a bit cool some morning and you have not checked the heater so you are afraid to fire it up or you just decide it is not cool enough for it, so you; turn on ...

 Date Added 2016-09-26


What is happening with your fire protection?

Decisions, choices, or paths taken, call it what you will, the outcome of the minutes of our lives depend on them. Granted many of these “outcomes” depend on factors yet unknown in these paths and to some degree not in our control, but even in many of these, the outcome can be impacted by preplanning. Sounds like a riddle huh?

Consider some things to put in the riddle. When I leave my house in my van I h...

 Date Added 2016-09-12


What is happening with your fire protection?

We have mentioned it before but as a reminder I want to look at the “First Responder Team” that is a part of the fire department. Most of the calls we respond to are, for sudden onset of medical symptoms of some kind, household accidents, etc. and these are bad enough but there is the potential for a very bad call which can be avoided. The potential, though it has always been there, has recently seemed to expanded greatly. T...

 Date Added 2016-09-05


What is happening with your fire protection?

This week we would like to post only a simple condolence to the St John the Baptist Parish Firefighters in the loss of one of their own, and we would also like to send our salute of honor all the firefighters of this parish for the faithful service they have rendered to their community. This recent tragedy should serve as a reminder of the dangers faced everyday by emergency responders not only in the fire service but in all ...

 Date Added 2016-08-29


What is happening with your fire protection?

No loss of life, no serious injury, but many tired people. This is one overview of the flood event that was a recent part of our lives. I realize it is not nearly as simple as one statement can describe and for some the event is still not completely over. The cost financially, as well as the burden on the human mind and soul may have been heavy and in cases still bearing down. We can always say this is not the first flood and th...

 Date Added 2016-08-22


What is happening with your fire protection?

August 13th through the 16th was a bit of a test of planning and training. We have mentioned before of the CERT “Civilian Emergency Response Team” and NIMS “National Incident Management System”. These two organized emergency response systems run along the same principles. Each outlines an organized response to an emergency or incident. During the flood situation the principles and methods of these response systems whic...

 Date Added 2016-08-19

After the recent floods, people have been looking for information on what to do, where to go, and how to get help. You can visit our Facebook page and find info there. Don't have Facebook, you can visit www.oneacadia.com , www.fema.gov , or www.dcfs.la.gov/preregister ...

What's happening  Date Added 2016-06-20

What is happening with your fire protection?

We have mentioned before the hazards of mixing household cleaners and other potential hazards. Not all hazards are some exotic cleaning chemicals mixed together or chemicals shipped in a special container that is now leaking. A so called “simple” fire can create or release some very hazardous fumes or gases. When burned, foam insulation, foam in furniture, synthetic carpets, PVC pipe, asphalt shingles, linoleum, and most other synthe...

What's happening  Date Added 2016-06-06

What is happening with your fire protection?

Often calls for the fire station reminded us of a few important points related to the fire service which we have mentioned before but they are important enough to point out again. The first is simply this; the Church Point Volunteer Fire Department is indeed, “volunteer”. This means at any given time many of the firefighters are on their regular job and cannot respond to fire calls. It is important that we have a wide range of fire...

Notice of Public Meeting  Date Added 2016-05-25

Notice of Public Meeting

Date: May 26, 2016
Time: 4:00 p.m.
Place: Church Point Fire Hall
113 S. David
Church Point La 70525

Agenda:
1. Fire Protection District No. 10 / Certificate of indebtedness; required documentation
2. Adjournment ...

What's happening  Date Added 2016-05-23

What is happening with your fire protection?

One of the activities that the Church Point Volunteer Fire department does that is fun with a very serious purpose is Fire Prevention. We go into schools and remind the children about fire safety. Consider some points. One of the things we try to teach them is not to be afraid of the firefighter. Statistics show that some children even hide from the firefighter when they go into a burning house to get them. Children at times instin...

What's happening  Date Added 2016-05-16


What is happening with your fire protection?

The, “did not really need to call after all” or the “almost was a real bad one”. These are just a couple of the calls we get that sometimes makes the caller embarrassed about calling. The question is asked sometimes, “just how should we know when to call? Though the answer may be considered a hard one, but in actuality there is a simple rule of thumb which may simplify your evaluation. If at any point you think, “I may...

What's happening  Date Added 2016-05-09

What is happening with your fire protection?

Have you ever taken the time to simply do a walk-through of your home, office, or workshop and ask yourself what can accidentally cause a fire or injury? Also during that walk-through examine your common practices regarding, storage, cooking, hobbies etc. Consider some common household things that can easily create hazards. Candles, scent sticks and scented oil lamps can cause fire if they are left unattended, or if they have things lef...

Notice of Public Meeting  Date Added 2016-05-02

Notice of Public Meeting

Date: May 3, 2016
Time: 6:00pm
Place: Church Point Fire Hall
113 S. David
Church Point La 70525

Agenda: Consider resolution to continue levying $50 parcel fee...

What's happening  Date Added 2016-04-25




What is happening with your fire protection?

Things are not always what they seem to be. Yes, I know this is an elementary statement but it is a good opener to some recent fire related happenings. Recently there were some strange sightings around Church Point. Smoke was erupting from the ground, coming out of sewer vents, on the tops of houses, and even coming into some houses. First reactions would probably be to call the fire department and some did. This...

What's happening  Date Added 2016-04-04

What is happening with your fire protection?

PPC= I100- {(CEC + CFD + CWS + COC + CCRR) – 0.5[I(CWS) – 0.8(CFD = COC) I]}I/10 This is not a misprint or just some letters and symbols. This is an equation that is relative to the insurance grade which determines the insurance rating for our district. Each acronym listed in this equation has an equation with acronyms from which it gets its value, but that equation also has acronyms that have acronyms or data from which it gets its ...

What's Happening  Date Added 2016-03-28


What is happening with your fire protection.

We spoke the last couple weeks about preparation that mainly centered on your personal preparation. I would like to give you a bit of what the fire department has been working on in regards to preparation.

We have been holding training and drills to be prepared to respond in the event there is an emergency. One of the drills we have worked on concerns being able to correctly and quickly put on the proper PPE (...

What's happening  Date Added 2016-03-14


What is happening with your fire protection?

Quick, take out a pen and paper and draw a floor plan of your house from memory. It has to be precise, complete with furniture and you must be able to start your drawing from anywhere in your house. Before you start cheering your success, you need to be able to duplicate this drawing in your head and be able to follow it out using not your eyes but by feeling with your hands. An even harder question is could you do it at your plac...

What's happening  Date Added 2016-03-07

What is happening with your fire protection?

Though it takes place a few different times throughout the year, in the past week some fire personnel recently attended a Helicopter Night Landing Class. This is a very important class which concerns the residents of Acadia Parish Fire Protection District 10. In order for an AirMed helicopter to land at night in our district anywhere except the hospital helo landing pad, there must be at least one person on the ground that is regist...

What's happening  Date Added 2016-02-29

What is happening with your fire protection?

Last week what was happening was training, training, training. As specified by the PIAL requirements firefighters, and additionally fire officers have certified training requirements to be considered an “active” member of the roster. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evening those faithful volunteers from the CPVFD as well as firefighters from around the parish gathered at the CPVFD station to attend classes needed for these require...

Whats happening  Date Added 2016-02-15

What is happening with your fire protection?

Some years ago two things happened in pretty close succession which represents the importance of preparation and training in the fire service. Firefighters and emergency personnel must always be alert and ready. During a Monday training drill to prepare for the upcoming PIAL certification, an apparent real hazard and medical emergency interrupted our ongoing successful drill. It turns out the “apparent” second situation was also a ...

What's happening  Date Added 2016-02-08


What is happening with your fire protection?

Take a good long look at your children. Really, no trick question, take an honest look at those who live with you, those that you are responsible for. Now ask yourself this question, “Would they be able to handle an emergency situation like a fire?

Remember as you think about it, that it is difficult even for an adult to react correctly during an emergency situation like a fire. This difficulty is evidenced by...

What's happening  Date Added 2016-01-25


What is happening with your fire protection?

This week’s article will be brief with a specific purpose. That is to be to the point of a problem and a solution all in one. We have mentioned the problem of missing house numbers before. The solution is the house number distribution program at the Church Point High School AG department. The Ag department has already made up many numbers and they are ready to be picked up and installed by you. All you have to do is contac...

What's happening  Date Added 2016-01-19

What is happening with your fire protection?

Location, location, location, yes, that is an important key to successful advertising and sales. Oops, this column is not about sales, but wait, location is important in fire safety and preparedness. Quick, where is your fire extinguisher stored? It should be stored where you can remember where it is. It should also be stored where it can be easily and quickly accessed in case it is needed. Often in an attempt to have a fire extinguish...

What's happening  Date Added 2016-01-11

What is happening with your fire protection?

A very simple but loaded question; just where is your propane gas tank? I would like to relate an extreme true story. Some 30 years ago a man in Tn adapted his propane tank to fill up a flat tire just to get it to the station. When he got there he backed into the garage and they let the “propane” out to repair the tire. The propane was ignited by a spark from somewhere and it killed the station attendant and put the man in the hosp...

What's happening  Date Added 2015-12-28

What is happening with your fire protection?

What Happens When You Call 911

When you call 911, a call-taker will answer the phone and say "911" or "911, what's your emergency?". Ideally, you should tell the call-taker what the emergency is, for example:
"My house is on fire!"
"There's someone breaking into my home!"
"There's a car accident at ....".

Please remember this, in the event of a true emergency if you call one of the emergency ...

 Date Added 2015-12-21

What is happening with your fire protection?

This week the Church Point Volunteer Fire Department and Acadia Parish Fire Protection District 10, would like to wish everyone a Safe and Merry Christmas season. Take time to be safe. Make plans to be alert. Watch for possible hazards that may arise. Please be safe, but if you need us, do not hesitate to call “911”. The 911 call system puts you immediately in touch with someone who can dispatch “all” of the different types ...

What's Happening  Date Added 2015-12-07

What is happening with your fire protection?

The Christmas season is upon us and it seems to bring out a different side of most people. Thoughts of decorations, gifts, and family gatherings seem to be the order of the day. Just a few things to keep in your thoughts. I can imagine that there are some kids or even some “kids at heart” that would love to see a fire truck on Christmas morning. In most cases you would think of a toy truck but some I guess would like to see a real on...

District Board Meeting  Date Added 2015-12-07

Notice of Public Meeting

Date: Dec. 8, 2015
Time: 6:00pm
Place: Church Point Fire Hall
113 South David
Church Point, La 70525...

What's happening  Date Added 2015-11-30

What is happening with your fire protection?

Holiday seasons are for the most part considered a good thing. I realize in our society many people still have to work on holidays and there are definitely people we want to be available if we need them for emergencies. Also I realize for different reasons some people have a hard time with holidays or simply do not enjoy them. There is another down side to holidays, and that is, often, catch up is the name of the game. The same is tr...

What's happening  Date Added 2015-11-23

What is happening with your fire protection?

During this Thanksgiving season we would like to take this opportunity to once again thank everyone in the Acadia Parish Fire Protection District 10 for the confidence you have placed in the Fire District Board and the Church Point Volunteer Fire Department. The support you have given us has encouraged us and also allowed us to be better equipped to offer the best possible emergency response possible. We are here because there is a need...

What's happening  Date Added 2015-11-16

What is happening with your fire protection?

Still after writing many years it seems the fact that I write for the paper a week in advance of printing still catches me occasionally. I knew Veterans Day was approaching and looked forward to it (being a veteran myself) but the delay thing caught me.

The Church Point Volunteer Fire Department and the Acadia Parish Fire Protection District 10 would like to extend a well-deserved Thank you to all Veterans and Active...

What's happening  Date Added 2015-11-09

What is happening with your fire protection?

Just a reminder. Thanksgiving is just around the corner. There will be plenty of cooking and preparing for the gatherings and for the eating. The deep fried turkey is becoming more and more popular. We wish to remind everyone who is planning to use this cooking technique to take a few minutes and make sure everything is in order for safety. A few main points of safety. Make sure the turkey is completely defrosted and at room temperatur...

What's Happening  Date Added 2015-10-26

What is happening with your fire protection?

Have you ever had those days when it seems you were just tired? No matter what came to mind, no matter how small it seemed, it just seemed you did not see the energy to face it. As I write this column it seems I may have reached one of those days. It does not have to be physical fatigue it can also be just mental fatigue. Not all of mine are fire related, though in the last week there have been many activities that surrounded our fire...

Voting is today  Date Added 2015-10-24

Voting is today. Don't forget we have a tax RENEWAL on the ballot. It's not a new tax, just a continuation of a current tax. The money from this tax is what pays for the operation of the fire department such as fuel, truck repair, equipment, supplies and utilities. Remember, we are 100% volunteer and we don't charge anyone for our services....

What is happening with your fire protection?  Date Added 2015-10-19

There are quite a few things of great importance and interest to the Fire District and the CPVFD going on still this week....

What is happening with your fire protection?  Date Added 2015-10-12

I realize last weeks article was a bit longer than usual but we wanted to show the quality of some of the intense certified training the CPVFD goes to...

Tax Renewal  Date Added 2015-10-08

On October 24, 2015, there will be an option to vote yes or no on the Fire Protection tax RENEWAL...