In the year 2000, District Six was the 42nd fire department in the country to receive an ISO Class 1 rating. Today, because of the growth of our community, we are a Class 2 rated department.
In 2010, a parish wide Rapid Intervention system was established to ensure rapid response in the event of a firefighter mayday situation. 2 years later in 2012, Central Fire Department, East Side Fire Department, and District Six establish a Box Call system to improve the available fire personnel and resources for structure fires. In 2014, in conjunction with several departments in the parish, District Six adopted the "Blue Card" command system. This system has greatly improved organization, accountability, and effeciency of operations on the fire scene.
District Six began with one pumper truck donated by the Baton Rouge FD, and one tanker truck that was purchased for $250.00. The trucks were parked at Kelly's Esso Station on Hooper Road, and was manned by a total of only 16 volunteer firefighters. These firefighters were trained by the Baton Rouge FD and the American Red Cross.
Later on, the Corlett Dr. property was donated by the City Parish for a fire station followed by the station on Prescott Road in 1988. Finally, the station on Mickens Road was added to expand the coverage of the department. The property on Corlett Drive is no longer used as a fire station.
The only funding for District Six from 1968 to 1984 were from donations that were collected in a door to door fund raising program. In 1984, the department began collecting millages, and in 1991 a service fee was established, ranging from $15 to $32.
Over the years, District Six transitioned from providing volunteer fire service to serving the community in many other areas as well. These services include emergency medical services, public education, high angle rescue, dive search and recovery, and responders and well trained in vehicle extrication techniques.
From 1991-2000, District Six also participated in the Baton Rouge Parish Arson Task Force. Today District Six conducts it's own investigations as to the potential cause of fire incidents.
History of District Six
our start
The District Six Volunteer Fire Department was formed in 1967 by East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Woody Dumas and Baton Rouge Fire Dept. Chief Edgar Lejeune. It was created as a community project in response to a need for greater fire protection in the area. This project was to organized and run by Mr. P.C. Thornhill.
In 1969, Baton Rouge FD Chief Clyde Kelly stated in the State Times that “The community project [District Six FD] is only a stop gap measure until the area is incorporated into the city.” This incorporation never happened, however, and the small community project eventually became a fully functioning fire department that today is manned by professional firefighters.