Volunteer firefighters rescue ducks in Ascension Parish neighborhood

It happened again, but this time it was a different Ascension Parish subdivision.

After saving baby ducks from a storm drain located at the Pelican Point golf course, members of the St. Amant and 5th Ward volunteer fire departments rescued a group of ducks in the Pelican Crossing subdivision.

St. Amant Chief James LeBlanc pointed to the dedication of the members to the St. Amant and Darrow communities, joking they seem to have "gone into the animal rescue business.

A couple of days before, volunteer firefighter Viki Landry was able to rescue a cat from being stuck in a vehicle engine area.

Firefighters participate in drill

Ascension Parish Fire District 1 firefighters and members of the Linde Chemical Facility Emergency Response Team participated in a Table-Top Haz-Mat Drill at the Linde Chemical Facility in Ascension Parish, LeBlanc reported.

“These types of training scenarios give our responders a hands-on learning experience as close to real life as possible,” LeBlanc stated. “Many lessons were learned, along with building a better relationship with our Industry Partners and assets available to us when needed.”

As part of the exercise, members of the fire district learned about all the chemicals manufactured, stored and shipped at the facility, and what equipment will be needed to respond to the area when needed.

The tabletop exercises are intended to provide an opportunity for our local volunteer fire departments to test their ability to respond to hazardous materials incidents. The exercises provide the opportunity to identify the response and coordination issues that could arise during a variety of hazardous materials scenarios and make the decisions to resolve those issues.

LeBlanc thanked Plant Manager Paul Thompson and the entire staff at the facility for the community invite to participate in the drill.

Fire reported in Prairieville

The morning of May 5, the Prairieville Fire Department responded to a residential house fire in the 38000 block of Smith Street with people possibly trapped.

Upon arrival the firefighters found the residence on fire and determined everyone was out of the residence.

Firefighters quickly entered the residence to extinguish the fire. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation by the Louisiana State Fire Marshal’s Office.