SUMMER 2011www.FD12.org

IN THISEDITION:Teen Volunteer Gaining Experience, Giving Back At FD12

U.S. Senator Vitter Visits FD12

Chief Guilott Observes 20 Years With FD12

Message from the Chief

19375 Hwy. 36 | Covington, LA 70433 | 985-892-5161

For half of his 20 years of service to St. Tammany Fire Protec-tion District No. 12, Darrell Guilott has been the organization’s chief, and as he recently celebrated his 20th anniversary serving the citizens of the Covington-area district, Guilott reflects fondly on his tenure – and optimisti-cally towards the future.

“When I first started, someone had said this would be a great job, and I thought it would just be a job,” Guilott said. “I didn’t realize it was something I’d love to do. I didn’t come here planning to become chief. I learned and worked my way up from the bottom.”

When Guilott started in 1991, at age 31, starting pay for firefighters was $4.36 an hour and there were only two firefighters on duty at any given time. And although he was hired as a firefighter, in those days the last hired was first assigned as the District’s dispatcher.

“We had three stations,” he said. “Two were manned, but one of those for only 12 hours a day. When you were hired here, the first thing you did was dispatch. When someone else got hired, you got to move up and ride the truck.”

Nowadays, things are different. Although starting pay for firefighters is still around minimum wage, an incentive program

provides guaranteed raises when certain levels of education are reached, and after three years each firefighter gets an automatic 2-percent raise. There are now 14 firefighters on duty each day. And dispatchers are hired separately and operate out of a different facility.

“We’ve got more equipment, better equipment,” he said. “We’ve gotten bigger and better and more educated. One of the best things we’ve done is the education program we have here. I’m proud to say we have probably 95 percent of our people with Fire Science degrees or really close to getting one. The better educated they are, the better they can serve the public.”

Guilott was hired in 1991, and was promoted to Fire Captain four years later. He was made District Chief when the rank was first established in 1998,

and was named Provisional Fire Chief in 2001, being formally named to the post a year later.

Guilott, 51, is a lifelong resident of the Bush area. His wife of 26 years, Trudy, is a retired elementary school teacher. His daughter, Cathryn, 19, recently graduated from Covington High School. And his son, Christopher, 22, is a full-time firefighter in Fire District 2, which serves the Madisonville area.

Chief Guilott Observes 20 Years With FD12

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From The

ChiefSumm er is

here, and with the hot weather come new safety concerns. School is out and traffic pat terns are different, leading to the potential for an uptick in vehicle accidents. Air conditioners and fans are on overdrive almost 24/7, which can lead to overheated motors and electrical fires. The miles of waterways in St. Tammany are popular with swimmers, heightening the risks of drownings. And, of course, charcoal and gas grills are aflame.

It’s a season for recreation, but it’s also a time for safety. Wear your seatbelts. Keep your air filters clean to reduce the collection of flammable dust. Set your A/C about 20 degrees lower than the outside temperature; any lower won’t do you much good, and can lead to an overheated air conditioner. Don’t mix alcohol with fire – or with water! Stay sober when cooking out or enjoying water recreation. We can all have fun and be safe at the same time.

In this newsletter, read about young Kasey Miller, who survived a dog attack at age 2 and has dedicated herself to helping others. Now 18, Kasey is a volunteer at FD12 and will soon begin college with the aim of becoming a physician. She’s a remarkable young lady, and we’re proud to call her one of our own.

United States Senator David Vitter recently visited our main station to talk about loan forgiveness. Like most public agencies, we borrowed money from the federal government to stay in operation after Katrina. Sen. Vitter and others are working hard in Washington to get those loans forgiven so your tax dollars can stay here where they belong.

And while I hate drawing attention to myself, I recently celebrated 20 years of service at FD12. It is an honor to work for you, and I consider it a blessing to be your fire chief. I’m proud of my 20 years, but it’s not about me. What I do here is for the brave men and women of FD12, and for the safety of the public we serve. Don’t hesitate to call me if you need help installing a smoke detector, want to schedule a visit to one of our fire stations, or need a home safety inspection. I didn’t invent our motto, but I do try to live it: We’re Here for Life.

Ask 18-year-old Kasey Miller why she wants to be a dermatologist and you’ll likely get a vague answer: “I like to help people.” But ask her what inspires her and you’ll hear a much different sto-ry.

“I had an a c c i d e n t when I was 2 years old, and all the love and sup-port and care I got in the hospital inspired me to want to help other people,” she said recently.

But the “accident” she mentions was much more than that. Kasey was attacked by the family dog. Her face was mangled and she took 200 stitches in the first round of treatment.

“I lost count of the number of surgeries I had to have,” she said. “I lost both of my ears. I’ve been in and out of the hospital for years and I want to use that experience to help other people in life.”

In fact, she’s already starting. Before even graduating from Fontainebleau High School last month, Kasey had attained her credentials as a Certified Nursing Assistant. She’ll start at the University of Southern Mississippi this fall, planning to major in biology. She’s a person of faith, a parishio-ner at St. Jane de Chantal Catholic Church in Abita Springs. And she’s an athlete.

“I ran track in high school and I’m going to run track in college,” she said. “I do pole

vaulting, which is my main event, and I placed third in the state.”

As a volunteer at FD12, she rides with the District’s two full-time p a r a m e d -ics, helping people with i n c i d e n t s r a n g i n g from high insulin levels to minor falls to car acci-dents. It’s a heavy load for some-

one so young, who could just as easily be spending her last summer before col-lege hanging out with her friends. It’s also an impressive list of accomplishments for someone who was, at a very young age, a victim. But being a “victim” doesn’t fit with Kasey Miller’s personality, and serv-ing others runs in her family: Her father, Jay, is a full-time firefighter. Her mother, Becky, works in FD12 administration. And her brother, Korey – only 10 months older and the person who ran to get help when she was attacked 16 years ago – just en-listed in the U.S. Marine Corps.

“I just have a passion for helping peo-ple,” she said. “I just want to make a dif-ference in people’s lives. So many people have inspired me and made a difference in my life. I want to do the same for other people.”

Volunteering for an organization with the motto, “We’re Here for Life,” she would seem to be in the right place.

United States Senator David Vitter met with chiefs, administrators and commissioners of St. Tammany Fire Protection District No. 12 at the Dis-trict’s headquarters near Covington in early June to discuss his efforts towards forgiveness of federal emer-gency loans.

Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, local government agencies borrowed significant sums to maintain opera-tions while order was restored and during the ensuing impact on tax rev-enue. FD12 borrowed approximately $500,000, which is now due in annual payments of $125,000 – a significant sum for an organization with an an-nual budget of only about $5 million.

Vitter, who was invited by the FD12 Board of Commissioners, has been a longstanding proponent of loan for-giveness. Vice President Joe Biden announced last year that the loans would be forgiven, but there remains serious doubt in Washington that the Federal Government will actually waive the debts. Vitter told FD12 lead-ers that he continues to work towards eliminating these obligations, which pose a serious threat to the solvency of state and local government agen-cies, particularly smaller ones such as FD12.

“I’ve met with FEMA Administra-

tor Craig Fugate and I’ve requested a meeting with the vice president,” Vit-ter said during the meeting. “As you know, I am on your side and I won’t stop fighting for emergency loan for-giveness.”

FD12, which serves an area north, east and south of the City of Coving-ton, is the third-largest firefighting agency in St. Tammany, and services not only residential areas but the busy Hwy. 190 commercial corridor from I-12 to Claiborne Hill. The Dis-trict employs more than 40 profes-sional firefighters and emergency responders, in addition to a small ad-ministrative staff.

“We are extremely appreciative that the senator made time to meet with us,” said Board of Commissioners Chairman Joe Mitternight. “Sen. Vit-ter’s strong stand on this issue is reas-suring, and his update yesterday was encouraging for us.”

“A $500,000 debt in a time of stat-ic tax revenue and rising mandates from the state in terms of firefighter pensions and insurance is a huge burden,” said FD12 Treasurer Jim Rap-pold. “Sen. Vitter has been a strong advocate on this issue from day one, and we are confident in his determi-nation.”

FD12 staff also spoke with Sen. Vit-

ter about the District’s efforts towards saving taxpayer money. FD12 has been a leader in conservative man-agement of tax dollars and in cost-reduction in the fire service, having established UniFire to provide con-solidated dispatch services for sev-eral fire districts and having launched its Fire Shop, where apparatus, fire pumps and emergency lighting from FD12 and other local fire districts can be serviced at-cost and on-site.

Following the meeting, the senator took time to meet the firefighters on duty in the District’s main station, and learned about the District’s acquisi-tion of a beam from the World Trade Center – an artifact intended for use in a sculpture to be placed on the FD12 grounds and constructed with funds from community and corpo-rate donations.

“You don’t hear this enough, but thank you for your service in protect-ing public safety,” Vitter told the fire-fighters. “You are truly appreciated.”

“Sen. Vitter was very generous with his time, and the firefighters and staff were honored to meet him,” said FD12 Chief Darrell Guilott. “We were delighted he took time to visit with us about the loan forgiveness issue and to learn about our operations.”

Teen Volunteer Gaining Experience, Giving Back At FD12

U.S. Senator Vitter Visits FD12

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