By Darlene Denstorff
The Advocate
Copyright 2006 Capital City Press
All Rights Reserved
SORRENTO, La. — Inspired by the television show “Emergency,” Mike Lambert said he hung out at the local fire station as a teenager in hopes of following in the boots of the firefighters he saw on the screen.
As the son of two educators, Lambert said he put aside his dream of being a firefighter and started on the path to becoming a teacher.
His mother quickly told him she knew his passion was firefighting and not teaching, and encouraged her son to follow his dream.
Lambert, 47, president of the Louisiana Fire Chief’s Association, joined the Sorrento Fire Department as a volunteer on his 18th birthday and hasn’t left. Eventually, Lambert became a professional firefighter, a job he still holds with the St. George Fire Department.
Admitting that dealing with administrative matters and being a boss is not “my cup of tea,” Lambert said he was honored to take the reins of the state chiefs’ association in April.
Lambert said he rose to the top of the association during a time of tremendous change brought on by last year’s hurricanes and their aftermath.
“The role of a fire chief changed dramatically after Katrina,” Lambert said. “The association had to change. We now have a new urgency in the organization.”
The Sorrento chief said the association has been transformed from “more of a social group” to a proactive organization looking to make changes needed in emergency preparedness.
“After Katrina, we realized we were not as prepared as we should be,” Lambert said as he outlined a long list of goals he is working on during his year-long reign.
The association, he said, is finalizing a new emergency preparedness plan, working with state officials on a new radio system for all emergency workers and teaming up with the Louisiana Municipal Association to help educate mayors and council members on the role of the fire service.
“Emergency preparedness is not fun,” he said. “But you have to be prepared. Planning is initial, and we have a good group of guys working on that now.”
Lambert’s department, as well as several others from Ascension Parish, responded after hurricanes Katrina and Rita, seeing firsthand the challenges faced by rescuers.
Lambert said he hopes the state’s new “all hazard” plan will result in better communication the next time a disaster hits the state.
He credits last year’s association president with identifying the need to change the goals of the group.
“You have got to have good communications and coordination between agencies at a scene, and we didn’t have that with Rita or Katrina,” Lambert said. “No one department can do this alone. We all need to be at the table when it comes to responding to an emergency and planning for any emergency.”
The need for more planning wasn’t the only change brought on by the hurricanes. Lambert said the town of Sorrento, where he serves as fire chief, is experiencing a surge in population thanks to displaced hurricane victims.
That population growth has resulted in more calls for help at the fire station. In 2005, the station responded to 136 calls by June 11. This year firefighters and emergency medical responders answered 211 calls by the same date.
Lambert said he sees new faces in his small town every day, and “they are changing the landscape of Sorrento ... and many are getting involved in the community.”
Lambert, a lifelong resident of Sorrento, said he has been pleased to welcome several new residents to the ranks of his 33-member department.
Stability and a dedicated group of firefighters have allowed Lambert to spend time traveling the state as part of his chiefs’ association duties.
“I’ve got a great bunch of firefighters, and I couldn’t’ do it without them,” Lambert said.
“A lot of people don’t know what this fire department sees,” Lambert said. “We see horrendous incidents as big as any big city. But, I’m lucky, in all these years I’ve never sent a man to the hospital.”
Lambert admitted he was quite overwhelmed after he was first elected president of the association.
“I was handed a full plate,” he said. “This group (the new officers in the association) made a promise to bring change, and we did and we are.”
The association, established in 1971, has 250 members from around the state.
According to the group’s Web site, the association was formed to obtain and circulate information on fire administration, prevention, protection and training; encourage study, research and analysis of all matters relative to protection and saving lives and property; to secure cooperation and assistance of other organizations in the field; render assistance to other members, fire departments, municipalities, industry and organizations interested in fire prevention and protection and promote the welfare of all Louisiana firefighters; and “render to all Louisiana citizens the most efficient service possible.”
The association members get together once a year for a conference in the hometown of its current president. Lambert said he is looking forward to hosting his fellow chiefs from around the state during the April 2007 conference.
Lambert said the 2007 conference will feature several training sessions and will update the membership on organization’s planning efforts.
“We’re a special breed,” Lambert said. “It takes a special person to do this.
“This type of work always appealed to me,” he said. “We’re not confined to a cubicle or a desk. You get to think on your own and be independent.”
Lambert said he knew he was “one of those types” when he was a young boy hanging out at the fire station.
He still recalls the day the town purchased a used fire truck from the Eunice Fire Department.
“It was an open-top American LaFrance, and they let me ride, and I still remember the thrill of riding on that old engine,” he said.
Lambert is still passionate about firefighting. After a long day at his job as a full-time firefighter, Lambert checks in with the Sorrento department to see how many calls his department has received.
In between his volunteer and full-time firefighting careers, Lambert doesn’t have much time for hobbies, but is an avid LSU football fan.
“I don’t hunt or fish, LSU football is my escape,” he said.