By Chris Kirkham
Times-Picayune (New Orleans)
GRETNA, La. — Inside the squat, one-story Gretna firehouse with red and white awnings, rows of folding chairs stenciled “Gould” sit empty from the company’s last meeting.
Mementos of the volunteer fire department’s 126 years of service line the walls: photos of the 1965 fire at McDonogh No. 26 school, original brass nozzles from the company’s first steam fire engine, the olive-green banner used in parades. A dusty metal vat where firemen once boiled crawfish sits idle in a storage room.
Until last week, the storied history of Gould Fire Company No. 2, named after millionaire New York financier and 19th century railroad magnate Jay Gould, was a constant source of pride for the hundreds of volunteers who streamed through over the years. But the traditions came to an abrupt halt last week when Gretna officials terminated the department’s contract after learning about falsified inspection reports on the crew’s equipment, resulting in the arrest of an assistant chief.
Now the photos and equipment will become relics. And the city will lose its century-old tradition of having two separate, independent volunteer fire companies: Gould and David Crockett Fire Company No. 1.
“As far as being a firefighting department ... yes, we’re done with,” said Timothy Gautreau, Gould’s chief since January. “We’ll look into trying to stay some kind of social club. We just have to see how the next couple of months work out.”
News of Gould’s sudden fall surprised city officials and even some leaders of the volunteer fire department.
The city was notified of problems with Gould’s inspection records by the Property Insurance Association of Louisiana, which does five-year reviews of fire equipment and safety procedures in municipalities across the state to determine fire-safety ratings. Those ratings then figure into homeowners’ insurance rates.
Based on information relayed to Gretna police and city officials by the association, inspection records for 2005, 2006 and 2007 were doctored for three Gould fire trucks.
Earlier this spring, Gould and Crockett fire officials sent in records for the past five years to the association. Inspectors came last week to do on-site reviews of the city’s fire equipment, 911 center and hydrants. That is when they alerted Gretna to the inconsistencies.
City officials were told that forms from 2002 were altered to make them appear more recent. The Wite-Out was still visible on the paperwork when it was submitted to the association, Gretna Police Chief Arthur Lawson said, and officials could tell the forms were from 2002.
On Sept. 13, Gould Assistant Fire Chief Allen Grabert was booked with eight counts of falsifying public records, a misdemeanor. Lawson said keeping up with the inspections was part of Grabert’s duties.
It appears the appropriate inspections have not taken place since 2002, Lawson said.
City officials don’t suspect Gautreau or any other Gould administrators of wrongdoing.
“None of this was palatable to anyone,” said Gretna Mayor Ronnie Harris. “We didn’t realize it would come to this, this way. For the people who have dedicated their lives to this, it’s a tragic situation.”
It is still unclear what the inconsistencies will mean for the city’s fire rating.
“I can’t answer that until everything is finished,” said Blaine Rabe, the division manager of the insurance association who alerted city officials to the problems with Gould’s forms. “It will be a couple of weeks.”
Gretna has a Class 2 fire protection rating. Class 1 is the highest.
Crockett must take over
In a city of only three square miles, both Gould and Crockett were called to fires in any part of Gretna. Neither company had specific territory.
But since the city severed its ties with Gould, all firefighting responsibility falls to Crockett.
Crockett firefighters and equipment have been spread out to the two Gould stations. Crockett Fire Chief Bobby Black said his company has already hired two of Gould’s seven paid operators. The other five are in the application process.
“Our main concern was making sure the fire protection was the same as before these events happened,” Black said. “It was unfortunate what happened, but we had to step up to the plate. The only difference now is the name on the side of the truck.”
In recent years, Crockett has outpaced Gould in volunteer membership. Black said Crockett has 100 members, 32 of whom are active firefighters. Gould had 35, seven of whom were active. Crockett’s annual contract with the city is worth $894,500, and Gould’s was about $545,000.
The city must still figure out what to do with Gould’s two firehouses and the equipment it owns.
After meeting with Harris and City Attorney W.J. LeBlanc last week, Gautreau met the next night with Gould personnel.
“I had the three past fire chiefs there. I was looking at 70 years of service. It was hard for me to sit there and look at those guys, who left it in my hands to run,” said Gautreau, who has been with Gould for 10 years and also works as an operator with the Terrytown Volunteer Fire Department. “I lost a lot of things I hoped for, a lot of hopes and dreams ... It’s basically having the rug pulled out from under you.”
Department’s history long
Packed away in a storage room were stacks of old logbooks from firehouse meetings. One dated to 1889, with flowing, handwritten cursive notes. The company was started with a $500 donation from railroad baron Gould, who wanted his own fire company near the railroad tracks after several of his buildings burned. That part of town was called “Gouldsboro.”
Gus Cuny, a 30-year veteran, recently remembered the days when there was not enough fire equipment for every man. Boots, helmets and coats hung on the side of the trucks, and volunteers showed up in their work clothes and grabbed what they could.
“There’s no better feeling than getting out there on a call,” said Cuny, a past president and station captain. “After fires we’d come here and drink beer, shoot the breeze, talk trash ... just like the policemen.”
The company was best known for selling crawfish in McDonoghville, sometimes 2,000 to 3,000 pounds in a weekend, Cuny said. On the side of the firehouse, a flashing red light indicated when sacks were ready for purchase.
He’s watched as volunteers have dwindled during the years, and he laments the way things had to end.
“Like everybody else, we were all quite upset ... just to shut it down, being in operation that long,” Cuny said. “It was just a big screw-up, that’s all.”