Menu
St. Tammany Parish Fire Protection District No. 7 (FD7) provides services for fire protection, first response emergency medical care, motor vehicle accidents, hazardous materials, and responds to all 911 calls that are not solely law enforcement issues.
When someone calls 911 for any reason they deem an emergency, FD7 is dispatched.
FD 7 serves one hundred seventy-six (176) square miles of area in St. Tammany Parish which is approximately 21% of the parish.
FD7 responded to 840 calls in 2022. That is a 24% increase from the 671 calls in 2021.
FD7's approximate response time is 7.5 minutes. The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) states that response times must be 5.5 minutes max.
FD7 receives approximately 900k in property tax revenue which is 2% of total revenue received by all fire departments in St. Tammany Parish. To restate, FD7 covers the largest area with the second lowest revenue.
FD7's current millage rate is approximately 20 mils. The surrounding fire districts are at 35 and 42 max mils. Residents and businesses in the FD7 area have enjoyed reduced rates for many years while other areas have benefited more with higher mils for fire and emergency services.
FD7 currently has five fire stations but should have more based on the recommendations from the Property Insurance Association of Louisiana (PIAL)
FD7 has a class 5 rating through PIAL. Class 1 being the best rating and class 10 is non-existent fire department.
FD7's fire truck fleet is around twenty years old. NFPA recommends fire trucks be taken out of front-line service after fifteen years old.
FD7 currently staffs three stations with one person per day. Staffing is required 24/7. To cover one station with one person requires the eqivalent of three full-time employees. NFPA standards are to have 4 persons on a fire truck.
The current millage rate/revenue has not allowed our fire district to maintain fire trucks, equipment, and stations to the level required and has not afforded the ability to hire more firefighters. Much of our firefighter equipment is outdated. FD7 stations were not constructed with long term plans of full-time staffing.
Fire Districts can only fund through millages and parcel fees. Funds cannot come from sales tax.
FD7's PIAL rating has suffered due to staffing which is a funding issue. The rating is a determining factor for property insurance rates.