Monroe Dispatch - No Struggle, No Progress

The Ouachita Parish Fire Department is proud to announce that its fire rating has been upgraded from a Class “4” to a Class “3”. This upgrade is expected to reduce the cost of insurance in Ouachita Parish, outside the city limits of Monroe and West Monroe. The new rating takes effect March 4, 2022. The Property Insurance Association of Louisiana (PIAL) recently notified Fire Chief Patrick Hemphill of the upgraded rating that resulted from a survey of the OPFD completed in 2021. The PIAL’s “public fire protection survey” is an in-depth evaluation of all fire department capabilities conducted on each fire department in Louisiana every 5 years. The evaluation includes equipment, communications, fire prevention activities, personnel, and training. PIAL also evaluates the water resources available for fire control. OPFD’s fire rating improved from Class 5 to Class 4 in 2016 before the new upgrade to Class 3. “This improvement attests to our capabilities as a fire protection agency. I am very proud of the professionalism and commitment of the men and women of the Ouachita Parish Fire Department. I appreciate the work of the Ouachita Parish Police Jury, OPFD’s governing authority, and our Citizens Advisory Committee. Of course, I am most thankful to the citizens of Ouachita Parish for their continued support of the activities of the department.” said Chief Hemphill.