By Bridget Mire
The Houma Courier
THIBODAUX, La. — At one time, Fred Mars said, the Chackbay Volunteer Fire Department made between $13,000 and $20,000 a year.
Last year, the department made over $100,000 — a record-breaking amount — on its Louisiana Gumbo Festival alone.
That’s not the only progress made in the Fire Department’s 50 years.
Mars said he joined a year or two after the local Jaycees formed the department in August 1966, and he served as the fourth of six fire chiefs. First came a fire station near Our Lady of Prompt Succor Catholic Church, followed by one near Nocko’s convenience store.
In the beginning, Mars said, chemical plants would give the department bunker gear and air packs, and the Red Cross donated a Ford van to the rescue squad. In 1979, the department got its own frequency through the FCC and bought a system that included a transmitter, antenna, pagers and radios.
Department President Josh Falgoust said the department’s name originally included Choupic and Choctaw and there was a Choctaw fire station. Choctaw eventually formed its own fire department.
“They had a need for fire protection here,” Falgoust said. “Otherwise, they would have to call Thibodaux to come all the way.”
The department will celebrate its 50th anniversary from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Chackbay Fairgrounds, 326 La. 304. The event will include fire prevention demonstrations, truck and equipment displays, a bounce house, free food and drinks, music and guest speakers.
Falgoust has been with the department for 15 years and seen upgrades in equipment as well as changes in structure.
“When the Fire Department first started, fire and rescue were really two different things,” he said. “Chackbay was one of the first departments in this area to have a dedicated rescue squad where they had Jaws of Life and that type of equipment. ... They would travel far distances because nobody else had that kind of stuff. It was kind of an elite, specialized unit that would go all over, and nowadays, you’re not a fireman unless you’re also an emergency medical responder. Our firemen do everything now.”
This year, the Fire Department saved money by purchasing a refurbished pumper and a used truck. It’s waiting on another truck to arrive.
The department is also building a 3,700-square-foot station along La. 20, just past the Sugar Ridge neighborhood. Fire officials hope the new station will help with response times to that area and provide more space for equipment.
Falgoust said the station should go out for bid in October, with construction starting in January.
He said money is the greatest issue for the Fire Department, followed by manpower. It’s difficult to not only recruit and keep volunteers, he said, but also maintain training.
His goals for the department are to continue upgrading equipment and increasing training and to maintain its Class 5 rating with the Property Insurance Association of Louisiana. The association ranks fire departments every five years on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the best.
Because many volunteers work outside of Chackbay, the department has an agreement with the Thibodaux Volunteer Fire Department for responding to incidents during the day.
Eddie Luquette said he was rescue chief starting about 26 years ago.
“We had probably one of the best rescue squads in the area back then, but compared to what it is right now, it was nothing,” he said. “The department has really, really grown. I got the uniforms, I set up all the medical boxes. I had one EMT on my squad. They have EMTs and they have paramedics on the squad right now. The volume of calls is just phenomenal. We might have had 30 calls a year. Now, they have 100.”
Mars said despite some challenges, firefighters have worked hard to build the department.
“I’m really proud of our firefighters that we have today,” he said. “They’re showing a lot more skill, a lot more dedication. They’re wanting to grow the department. Of course they have the money to do it, but they still have to go out and generate money. I am truly proud of those boys. We’ve done a long time, and I don’t regret one ounce of it.”
Copyright 2016 The Houma Courier, La.