Where do I call to get CPR classes?
Call Baton Rouge EMS at (225) 389-5155.
How do I schedule the use of your facility for my non-profit organization?
To schedule use of our facilities, you must stop by our fire station. On-line and telephone requests are not accepted. To view the current schedule stop by station 91 @ 15094 Old Hammond Hwy Baton Rouge, LA 70816.
What do I do with old gasoline/oil/paint that I don't want?
First call DEQ (Department of Environmental Quality) at 342-1234, once connected chose option 2. You may also check the Yellow Pages for businesses such as Jiffy Lube or AutoZone. Most will accept used motor oil free of charge.
How do I get a copy of a fire investigation report from East Side Fire Department?
Call East Side Fire Department at (225) 272-7779.
How do I get a fire permit?
Call East Side Fire Department at (225) 272-7779 to see if you qualify.
Do you get cats out of trees/telephone poles/off of roofs?
No. Try opening a can of tuna and waiting for the cat to get down on its own. You may also call Baton Rouge Animal Control at (225) 774-7700
Where can I go to get my blood pressure checked?
At East Side Fire Department between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
How can I schedule a fire truck or a firefighter at my function?
Call East Side Fire Department's Public Education Officer Brian Besson at least one week in advance at (225) 272-7779.
Who do I call about a fire extinguisher that doesn't work?
Check the Yellow Pages under Fire Extinguishers.
Who do I call to get sand and/or sand bags?
East Side Fire Department does supply sand, sand bags, and shovels only when there is an imminent threat of a hurricane or flood. When such a situation develops, call (225) 272-7779 to find out when we will have a temporarily supply of sand and sand bags.
Why do so many fire apparatus respond to simple incidents?
Fire Department units are dispatched according to information received by the 9-1-1 operator. East Side Fire Department thinks pessimistically when they respond to citizens in need of help. In other words, the firefighters are prepared to deal with the worst that could happen. An EMS dispatcher decides the closest unit to respond to an incident.
Our fire department's philosophy is to get our firefighters there as soon as possible. This will usually be at least one engine and one rescue unit. In preparation for the worse case scenario, an ambulance will often be dispatched as well. There may be three or more fire department vehicles on the scene for what appears to be a "simple" incident. However, in emergency services we have learned that if we assume something is "simple," we can be horribly mistaken. Plus, we respond as fast as we can prepared to encounter the worst. The winner in these situations will always be the citizen who needs help.
How come I see fire trucks with full lights and sirens go through a red light at a intersection and then, after they go through, they turn off their lights and slow down?
As explained in the previous answer, sometimes several units are dispatched to the same incident. The first unit may have arrived on the scene, surveyed the situation and informed the dispatcher that the situation was under control. All other responding units were cancelled and put back into service, ready to take another call. Most likely, when you see an emergency vehicle go "Code 3" (lights and siren) through an intersection and then slow down and turn the emergency lights off, they have been cancelled from the call they were going on.
Why do I see firefighters cutting holes in the roof of a building on fire at a fire scene?
This is called "venting the roof". There are two basic reasons for this practice. Dangerous gases and dark smoke accumulate in a burning building. These gases and smoke can reach 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit during a fire. Unlike the movie versions of fires, it is impossible for firefighters to operate in such an environment. When a hole is made in the roof of the burning building, the building is "vented". The smoke and gases escape because heat and smoke rise. It makes it much easier for the firefighters in the building to see. It also reduces the possibilities of backdraft and flashover. Another reason for venting the roof is to see how far the fire has progressed. One of the fastest avenues through which fires spread is the attic. Heat and smoke rise into the attic where the fire can move quickly. Firefighters may go ahead of the fire on a roof, cut holes to access the attic and stop the fire from spreading through the attic.
Why do I see firefighters using large gas powered fans at a fire scene?
This is called "positive pressure ventilation". As in the previous answer, dangerous gases and smoke accumulate in a burning building. Using the fans to increase the air pressure inside of a building will force the gases and smoke out of the building through ventilation holes or open windows or doors and replace these dangerous gases with clean, fresh air. This reduces the heat and smoke inside of the building assisting firefighters in search & rescue as well as extinguishment efforts. Proper positive pressure ventilation can also reduce fire & smoke damage by pushing the fire back into the already burnt areas of the building.
What is my “User Fee”
I pay my taxes, why do I have to pay this fee also?
From the late 1970s and early 1990s, funding provided to the parish departments was inadequate and had to be supplemented by fund drives. Large amounts of time and effort were being spent begging for money from the public. Funding through property taxes was utilized to provide some revenue but was not fair as those who were homestead exempt or who lived in apartments and house trailers were our biggest customers and the most frequent users of our services.
In 1991, every parish fire department in the parish went to the public to ask for passage of a per-occupancy users' fee. This mandatory fee would more fairly spread the burden of fire and first aid protection. In exchange for passage of this fee, East Side agreed to never again solicit money from our users via annual fund drives or requests for donations.
Our total budget now amounts to about $58 per capita per year for all of our revenue sources, including the Users' Fees. The current funding level for the Baton Rouge Fire Dept. is about $230 per capita per year; the income generated from our Users' Fee collections is vital to our operations.
What do I get in return?
East Side provides paid 24-hour coverage by having a minimum of one officer and three trained firefighters on duty at all times to respond immediately in the event of a fire or emergency medical call. We also rely on our contract employees to supplement our full time staff during fires or major incidents that may occur in our district. We are no longer a volunteer fire department, but rather a combination fire department.
East Side also provides to its community two state-of-the-art fire stations which are utilized by over 300 non-fire department individuals for training and community or civic association meetings every month.
East Side regularly provides fire-safety classes to every school and nursing home in our fire district. We attend and observe fire drills at schools and other facilities and advise these facilities on how to be as safe as possible in the event of an emergency. We also provide fire-safety classes to other organizations such as Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts at our facility.
East Side requires all of its fire fighting personnel to be NFPA Firefighter-I and First Responder certified prior to being promoted from the rank of recruit to the rank of firefighter. Keep in mind, this is the minimum required training. Most of our firefighters are at least Firefighter-II certified. By using our newly constructed training facility, we can practice search and rescue of fire victims, confined space and special situation rescue as well as fire suppression and other aspects of fire ground operations right here at our facility. East Side purchased a new Smeal fire engine in 1999, known as E913, and a new Ferrara fire engine in 2001, E923, and a Rousanbeaur 104’ Platform Aerial in ?. These apparatus compliment the others in our fleet and serve as first-out apparatus on all calls. They are both outfitted with the latest in fire fighting equipment (including class A foam), Hurst "Jaws-Of-Life" extrication equipment and a compliment of first aid equipment including a pulse oximeter and AED.. Two new Rosenbauer engines have been purchased to update our existing fleet. The first engine is scheduled to arrive July, 2010 and the second February 2011.
What does this mean to me?
In 2007 , East Side was re-rated by the Property Insurance Association of Louisiana (PIAL) to be an ISO Class 2 Fire Department. This translates into lower insurance premiums (approximately $800 less per year than in a Class 10 fire district). There are approximately 750 fire departments in Louisiana and only two have a better rating and both are full time municipal departments. But these Class 1 fire departments cost much more to operate - generally at least 3 times more! Our total cost per capita is less than $101.00! In the event of a medical or fire emergency, we provide immediate response with highly trained personnel using up-to-date equipment. This translates into lives saved and property protected.
We have committed to provide and EMT on at least 100% of all emergency medical calls and a minimum First Responder on ALL emergency calls. Please keep in mind that there is no requirement for fire departments to even respond to first aid calls. In 2003, with our level of training, our first aid patients were treated by more highly trained firefighters than any other fire district in the parish. Only 1.5% of our medical calls in 2003 were attended to by First Responders; 73% were attended to by Nationally Registered EMTs and 25% by Nationally Registered EMT-Paramedics.
Our facility is available for civic and club meetings. This is provided to our community at no charge.