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Grand Lake Fire Department asks Cameron Parish for equipment funds after mutual-aid station closure
Summary
Grand Lake Fire Department officials told the jury their aging air tanks and mask sets need replacement after hurricane damage; mask sets estimated at $133,000 and a cascade fill system $70,000–$100,000, and a nearby mutual-aid station has closed, increasing response distances.
Representatives of the Grand Lake Fire Department told the Cameron Parish Police Jury on June 8 that equipment losses from the hurricane left the department with antiquated air tanks and incompatible mask sets and that the cascade filling system used to refill tanks was destroyed.
The department’s representative (introduced to the jury as Miss Det or Miss D) said the department has purchased some replacement air tanks but that those tanks are incompatible with the mask sets currently priced at about $133,000. She said a new cascade fill system that would allow rapid refilling of bottles is estimated in the range of $70,000 to $100,000, depending on whether parts of the old system can be salvaged.
The representative also said mutual-aid agreements remain, but a nearby station the department relied on was permanently closed by Kushu, increasing reliance on stations farther away and complicating response times for island incidents. Given equipment needs and the closure, the department asked the jury to prioritize equipment purchases over constructing a new station in the near term.
Staff said they have reached out to Venture Global with details of needed equipment and are exploring using SourceWell, a cooperative purchasing arrangement the parish already has membership in, to streamline procurement. Jurors asked for firm cost estimates and discussed potential funding assistance; no specific appropriation or vote was recorded during the agenda-review session.
Next steps: the department will provide more precise cost breakdowns and procurement options; jurors indicated willingness to consider partial funding or assistance in identifying cooperative procurement routes such as SourceWell.
