Several local fire stations remain down since Ida

Before Hurricane Ida, it would take firefighters about seven minutes to respond to calls in Cocodrie, a small community of fishing camps along with a few permanent houses along Bayou Little Caillou.

Since Hurricane Ida, it takes roughly 15 minutes.

So far, the department has not had to deal with the kind of fire that could have resulted in loss of life or property. But Little Caillou Fire Chief Marty Thibodeaux said he's concerned that if such a blaze does break out, firefighters might get there too late.

"Its gone," Thibodeaux said. "There's nothing left to save after 15 minutes."

At least three fire stations in southern Terrebonne Parish, including two in Little Caillou's district, remain unusable after Hurricane Ida destroyed them nearly a year ago.

Another five stations in southern Lafourche Parish are also down since the storm, though officials say they have already taken steps to avoid delayed response times.

Before Ida, Little Caillou firefighters responded to fires in Cocodrie from Station 4, at 6886 La. 56. It's at the northern end of the community near Robinson Canal, a couple of miles up the road from Cecil Lapeyrouse's grocery.

But Ida left only one wall standing at Station 4. So now the closest station, No. 2, is seven miles north along the highway.

Thibodeaux is speaking with local officials and FEMA about areas he can place temporary fire stations to improve response time. He said he's close to getting temporary metal buildings and trailers.

One will be in Cocodrie, on the south side of the Robinson Canal Bridge.

Another will be near Station 1, at 4588 La. 56 in Chauvin. That station, a mile and a half south of Upper Little Caillou Elementary, lost roughly 80% of its roof, and officials are trying to determine whether it should be repaired or instead demolished and rebuilt.

The few other stations the department works out of now are already under repair, which so far has cost about $300,000, Thibodeaux said.

Insurers, architects, and FEMA are negotiating repairs and costs for both parishes. This leaves fire chiefs without crucial locations from which to respond. Each department has a different makeup of volunteers and part-time and full-time firefighters.

In Ida's immediate aftermath, volunteers from all local departments had to take care of their families and homes. Chiefs said firefighters would respond to emergencies, but participation in training was down and is only beginning to rebound.

So far, chiefs say, the loss of fire stations has not affected the departments' insurance ratings. The Property Insurance Association of Louisiana has granted waivers since Ida, but it's uncertain how long that will last.

If the association downgrades departments' ratings because of the increased response time or other damage from Ida, it could increase the cost of homeowners insurance in the communities they serve. And that would come on top of insurance cost increases many residents are already facing after damage Ida inflicted on their own homes and businesses.

In Montegut, Fire Station 2 has been unusable since the storm. Chief Gina Danos said the department hasn't had an architect estimate the cost to repair it yet, but the building is insured for almost $1 million.

"We've had correspondences through the insurance and the architect and now also through FEMA," Danos said. "It's just trying to collaborate all efforts."

The department is operating out of the Main Station, which adds a few minutes to its response time, Danos said. She said a temporary station is a possibility in the future but the department is waiting on feedback about Station 2.

"It's a lot of back and forth through different agencies," Danos said. "You know, the architect needs this, the insurance needs this, FEMA needs that."

South Lafourche lost four fire stations in the storm, and another will potentially be deemed totaled. Chief Devin Dedon said fire trucks remain at the stations' locations to keep response times the same. Stations destroyed by the storm include South Golden Meadow, West Galliano, East Galliano, Belle Amie and Fire Central. He expects West Cut Off to be declared a total loss. West Galliano is repaired.

The total cost of repairs has not been determined, as the department is still seeking bids from construction companies to do the work.

Belle Amie is the only station not being used at least as a base of operation. The North Galliano Fire Station is covering Belle Amie's area, which may increase response time slightly, Dedon said. However, Belle Amie is a volunteer station, and North Galliano is staffed by full-time firefighters, so he said that makes response time about the same.

"Normally, that's a volunteer station, so the volunteer leaves his house, goes to pick up that truck and then responds to the call," Dedon said. "This other station that's covering for them is a manned station, so the career firefighters wake up at the station, they get in the truck at the location and respond."