Smoke & Mirrors

Smoke, Mirrors & Missed Alarms

How a Broken Oversight System Let One Man Build a Fire District on Illusion

ST GEORGE, LA — For over two decades, the St. George Fire Protection District was praised as a model of growth and success. New trucks. New headquarters. Expansion across a booming tax base. But behind the well-crafted image was a government structure so deeply flawed that it allowed one man — the Fire Chief — to operate with virtually no oversight or accountability.

Now, as legal challenges mount, audits expose mismanagement, firemen are being sued, the illusion is beginning to collapse.

The Oversight That Never Was

In theory, the structure is simple:

• EBR Metro Council, elected by the public, appoints fire board members.

• The fire board appoints and oversees the fire chief.

But in practice? That system failed.

Over time, the Fire Chief began submitting his own “recommendations” for who should be appointed to the fire board — and the council approved them. When no members of the public stepped up, Metro Council quietly filled vacancies with names handed to them by the Chief himself.

He didn’t just report to the board — he built it.

This backwards chain of accountability created an environment where oversight vanished, and personal loyalty replaced governance.

Financial Mismanagement Hidden Behind Growth

While the district expanded and tax revenue grew, few questioned the books. After all, shiny trucks and ribbon cuttings painted the picture of success. But recent audits revealed:

• Over $4.4 million in deficit spending

• Missed payments on a $16.5 million in construction bonds

• Improper budgeting pactices

• Uncollateralized public funds

• And at least one fire station where Entergy literally cut the power due to non-payment

• Unbuilt firestations that have been tax collected on for over 10 years

Yes, the lights went out at a public safety facility because the bill wasn’t paid.

The truth is, growth shielded the rot. The department had the revenue — it just didn’t have the stewardship.

Protocol Games and Rating Risk

With these financial cracks came another collapse — in credibility.

Recently, interdepartmental concerns have been raised about the department’s ISO rating being in jeopardy, due in part to:

• Staffing shortages

• Response times below standard

• Shut down fire trucks

• Delayed construction of new fire stations

• Manipulation of response procedures to make numbers look better on paper

At one point, administration reportedly directed all units to now “respond code 3” (lights and sirens) for all fire alarm calls — historically unnecessary. This response type has been reserved for “reported fires” only! This protocol change drastically increased risk to firefighters and the public, all to create the appearance of fast response and robust activity. It was necessary to bandaid the mismanagement.

Meanwhile, officers were instructed to “arrive on scene” when arguably they were only “in the area” — another example of how data was manipulated to protect image, not lives.

The St. George Fire District is now short at least three stations — possibly four — for the area it serves. Yet no serious construction effort has begun. No comprehensive staffing plan has been put in place. And no public apology has been issued.

Firefighters Carried the Image — Now They’re Carrying the Blame

Despite it all, the Fire Chief continues to claim credit for the department’s perceived success — a success built entirely on the backs of firefighters who responded to every call, filled every overtime gap, and upheld a public image that no longer reflects the reality behind closed doors.

“We were out there short-staffed, running calls with two guys on engines when we needed four, hell, many days trucks were not staffed AT ALL,” said one firefighter. “It’s been smoke and mirrors for years.”

It’s a House of Cards — and It’s Falling

With union lawsuits pending, financial audits piling up, and a chief announcing a vague “succession strategy” with no deadline, the façade is fading fast.

The public deserves to know:

• How did we get here?

• Who allowed it?

• And how do we stop it from happening again?

Because in the end, a fire department should be built on service, not spin.

And this house of cards can’t stand much longer.