Thibodaux Volunteer Fire Department

The Thibodaux Volunteer Fire Department was established in 1874. This all volunteer fire department provides emergency services to the citizens of Thibodaux, Louisiana. As of 2003 The Thibodaux Volunteer Fire Department protects a population of about 15,000.

During 2009, the Thibodaux Volunteer Fire Department and the City of Thibodaux were rated by the Property Insurance Association of Louisiana (PIAL) with 2008 being the test year. This rating resulted in achieving a Class 2 insurance rating. This is by far the biggest accomplishment during the year as The Thibodaux Volunteer Fire Department became the first all-volunteer fire department in the State of Louisiana to achieve a Class 2 or better rating. Achieving this rating was a total team effort between the Fire Department, the City Administration, and the City Council. In 2011, the Thibodaux Volunteer Fire Department and the City of Thibodaux were re-rated by the Property Insurance Association of Louisiana with 2010 being the test year. This two-year time frame from our last rating was due to the fact that our rating class improved by 2 grades after the 2009 rating. With the Department, the City Administration and the City Council working together, we were able to maintain our class 2 rating.

In 2011, members of the department logged in 5,705 training hours. The total number of training hours is actually an increase of 1,299 training hours completed during the year compared to the number of training hours logged in for 2010. The dedicated members of the department spend countless hours of their free time to learn firefighting and to take care of the departments business. Fire fighters can attend intensified training provided by instructors from the Louisiana State University Firemen's Training Program. Some fire fighters continue on to become certified in various specialties by taking practical and written examinations. The Thibodaux Volunteer Fire Department has members who are certified to the level of Fire Fighter One, Fire Fighter Two, Instructor One, First Responder, EMT, extrication technician, and many other various certifications. Some of the members are selected to be on the various squads. They attend specialized training to perform the duties required by the squads such as vehicle extractions performed by the Rescue squad. This training assures a quick and accurate response when called upon to respond to emergency situations.

Also in 2011, the Thibodaux Volunteer Fire Department answered 357 total alarms of which 301 were fire alarms and 56 were rescue calls compared to 322 total alarms in 2010 for a total increase of 35 alarms.

Each member is asked to continue making every effort to increase their attendance at fires and training and to continue providing fire and rescue services to the area residents that is second to none. Many thanks for a job well done.

Analysis of Fire Alarms

In 2011, the Thibodaux Volunteer Fire Department responded to 301 fire alarms compared to 275 fire alarms in 2010 which is an increase of 26 fire alarm responses. There were a total of 4,725 member responses to these alarms for an average of 16 responders per alarm, an increase of 2 responders per alarm more than last year. The average number of responders to the building fires was 61. 157 of these alarms had a response time of 3 minutes or less. The average response time for all alarms was 3.93 minutes. A breakdown of the types of fire alarms is as follows:

Alarm Malfunctions	5	Flammables	15
Brush/Grass	14	Good Intent	6
Building Fires	9	Other Calls	19
Chemical	1	Service Calls	7
Cooking Containers	19	Smoke Scare	17
Electrical Fires	26	Trash/Rubbish	14
False Alarms/Bomb Scares	6	Unintentional Alarms	130
		Vehicle Fires	13

Of the above calls, 259 calls were in the City, which is 24 more than in 2010, 24 were in District 4, and 18 were to provide mutual aid to surrounding fire departments.

Analysis of Rescue Calls

The Rescue Squad responded to 56 rescue calls in 2011 compared to 47 in 2010. These calls were for the following reasons.

Auto Accidents	2
Man Power for heavy Lift	14
Medical Assists	29
Paged Out - Cancelled	2
Removed trapped victim	4
Other	5