By: James Hartman

Ten firefighters from three St. Tammany Parish fire districts will graduate from the Recruit Academy at Fire District 12 on Friday evening.

On March 28 at 6 p.m., the 10 recruits will formally graduate in a ceremony at North Shore Bible Church, 19516 Sunshine Ave., near Covington.

Over the 11-week course, the men have obtained certifications in CPR, First Aid and the operation of Automated External Defibrillators; Hazardous Material Operations; Hazardous Material Awareness; and Firefighter I and Firefighter II certifications. The firefighters are employed by Fire Districts 3 (Lacombe), 6 (Lee Road) and 12, which serves an area north, east and south of the City of Covington.

FD12 instructors utilized Fire District 4′s training tower near Mandeville for some practical skills training. In addition to academic training, the recruits underwent an intensive physical fitness program.

The firefighters will immediately begin continuation of their studies with an EMT class, also hosted by FD12.

“We’re very proud to offer training opportunities in-house for our own recruits and for other Fire Districts in St. Tammany Parish,” said Dominick Bourgeois, chief of training at FD12. “We are confident all 10 of these graduates will serve our community well, honoring our commitment to protecting lives and property.”

By: James Hartman

St. Tammany Parish Fire Protection District No. 12 personnel responded this afternoon to a structure fire in which a mobile home and a large swath of woods were damaged.

At 1:52 p.m., a resident of 20473 Jefferson St., near Covington, called to report a trash fire out of control. Responding units arrived at 1:59 p.m. and found the skirting around the home catching fire from a burning pump shed. The shed had been ignited by an unattended trash fire.

The fire was under control at 2:08 p.m., with no injuries and no significant damage to the home. The pump shed was destroyed. Seventeen personnel responded with four engines, one rescue vehicle and five support vehicles.

It was the third structure fire in the last few months caused by an unattended trash fire.

“Our citizens need to be very careful when burning leaves and trash in their yards,” said FD12 Chief of Operations Mike Haley, who was on the scene. “No fire – whether in a kitchen, a fireplace, a grill, or a yard – should be left unattended by an adult. Fortunately, damage to this home was relatively minimal, but it could’ve been much, much worse.”

Fire District 12 personnel extricated two people from a vehicle after a crash on Hwy. 25 north of Covington this morning.

At 8:31 a.m., a caller to 911 / UniFire reported the crash on Hwy. 25 near Hunter’s Bluff. Responding units were on the scene eight minutes later and discovered the vehicle had apparently left the roadway and struck a tree.

At 8:40 a.m., firefighters initated extrication procedures. The driver was removed from the vehicle at 8:55 a.m., and the passenger at 9:27 p.m. Both were taken to St. Tammany Parish Hospital by Acadian Ambulance.

Three FD12 engines and one rescue unit responded, along with personnel from the Sheriff’s Office and State Police.

Any additional information will be provided by investigating law enforcement agencies.

“In the last few weeks, we have responded to four separate wrecks requiring extrication,” said FD12 Chief Darrell Guilott. “While all of these incidents involved some level of injury, it’s very fortunate no lives have been lost. I encourage all drivers to wear seat belts at all times, respect weather and road conditions, and obey traffic laws. We’re glad to have the equipment and training required for extrication, but we’d much rather never have to deploy it.”

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For more information, visit www.fd12.org, or find Fire District 12 on Facebook.

Media Contact:
James Hartman
[email protected]
504.458.4600