Mailbag

On Father’s Day Sunday, a couple was traveling through our area on their way back home to Arizona from Florida with their two young grandchildren when they experienced a mechanical failure on their vehicle leaving them stranded in Ville Platte. They searched for a safe place to stop and found directions to our Lincoln Road Fire Station. The couple did their best to describe the issue as the gentleman was a mechanic, though did not speak English very well. His wife was able to explain to the station crew what was needed, and her husband attempted to get a part at a local auto parts store with no success. A call was made to another off-duty firefighter who tried to assist by coming to the station and bringing the gentleman to his own parts yard to search for the needed part but could not locate one.
Another on-duty firefighter contacted his sister and brother-in-law about the incident, and they went out of their way to drive to Opelousas for the needed part. Upon returning with it, it was not the correct part. They had already left the firehouse but returned to get the wrong part and drive back to Opelousas to get the correct part.
While waiting, the A-shift crew entertained the family, especially the children, by providing fire safety coloring books and giving them a tour of the firehouse, including letting them spray water with a fire hose, much to their delight. The family was tremendously grateful for our hospitality in the air-conditioned conference room, water, and restroom facility while waiting on parts and while the repair was underway. Once crew change occurred at 7 p.m., the family was assisted with the repair by an off-duty firefighter who stayed to assist B-shift coming on-duty.
By that evening, the family was soon ready to go with the repaired vehicle and were extremely grateful for everyone’s generosity and assistance. So much so, that they insisted on making a donation to the volunteer fire department, of which personnel wasn’t necessary, but accepted at the insistence of the family.
On behalf of our community, I would like to congratulate the following personnel and firefighter family members for going over-and-above their call:
A-Shift: Asst. Chief Fabian Poullard, Captain Scott Dupre, Training and Safety Officer Kyle Dupre, and Probationary Firefighter/Operator Spencer Bordelon; B-Shift: Captain Jacob Demoruelle, Senior Firefighter/Operator Edgar Bradley, Firefighter/Operators Colby Dupre and Trojan Harrison; Firefighter family members: Keely and Cody Savoie.
Thank you all for a job well done! Your selfless actions made our community proud.

Chris Soileau,
Fire Chief
Ville Platte F.D. and Evangeline Parish Fire Dist. 2