The mission of the Operations Division is to maintain a constant state of readiness to respond to all requests for services through training, maintenance of equipment, and a desire to serve our community.

The Bayou Cane Fire Protection District (BCFPD) consists of 50 full time employees, 42 shift personnel, 2 Fire Prevention / 6 Administrative personnel and 12 volunteer firefighters.

The personnel assigned to the Operations Division are divided between three shifts (Blue, Red, Gold). Each Shift has a District Chief Commanding and 14 personnel per shift. These personnel are staffing; 4 Engines, 2 Ladders and 2 Squads. The emergency units respond from four strategically located fire stations within the Bayou Cane Fire Protection District, 24 hours per day, each and every day.

Our Engine companies respond to fires, vehicle accidents, hazardous materials calls, medical emergencies, and various rescue calls. The main function of the Engine Company is to respond to fires, secure a water supply, lay supply lines, pump the water through hand lines, locate, confine, and extinguish the fire. While part of the team is extinguishing the fire, other members are searching the immediate area for victims as they progress. In years past, the nozzleman was sometimes referred to as the “pipe man”.

The (Truck) or Ladder Companies’ main purpose is to respond to fires, position the apparatus for the function needed, whether for rescue or ventilation. The personnel assigned to the Ladder Company are sometimes referred to as “Truckies”.  Once positioned, the Ladder personnel are to Vent the building, Force Entry if necessary, and Search for the fire or victims. We call this (VES) Vent, Enter, Search.  Ladder Companies sometimes position directly in front of the fire building when there is little or no threat of collapse. Ladder Companies sometimes position at the corners of the building when there is a threat of collapse and so they can deploys its Ladder to two sides of the building in case of a window rescue is needed. The personnel who go to the roof are to open up or make openings to remove the heat and smoke. By doing this, they remove the heat and thick smoke, thus clearing visibility and providing clean air for those who may be trapped. 

Our Squad Companies bring extra equipment to the fire scenes enabling us to fill expended SCBA air bottles, salvage covers for protecting unburned and salvageable items, extra hand tools, small ladders, exhaust fans for removing smoke and heat from the buildings, and extra scene lighting for night time events. These Squads also carry a full complement of medical gear in case a medical emergency is encountered. 

Operations personnel work a 24-hour schedule, starting at 8 am until 8 am the next morning. 24 on, 48 off. The BCFPD responded to 2,597 emergency responses in 2009. The main responses are broken down in the Quick Facts chart below. 

In addition to the number of emergency responses, personnel assigned to the Operations Division also conduct annual pre fire inspections of every business, public education demonstrations, hydrant maintenance, fire hose testing, station maintenance and a minimum 2 hours of training daily.

The remainder of the incidents were cancelled calls, assistance, water rescue, animal rescue, public service, smoke investigations, and assorted miscellaneous calls. As the population in the Bayou Cane area continues to grow, so will our response needs. We are committed to meeting that need.