August 2, 2004

PRESS RELEASE

To: Newsroom

For Immediate Release

Contact: Brian A. Crawford, Asst. to the Fire Chief

Phone: 673-6652, cell: 455-2609, page: 675-2137

Fire Department to Open West Shreveport Station

The Shreveport Fire Department is filling in a big hole in their emergency service delivery tomorrow when they open their newest fire station, Station 13, in west Shreveport.

During the fire department’s last ISO fire class evaluation by Property Insurance Association of Louisiana (PIAL), the West 70^th and Pines Road area was specifically cited as being in need of additional fire and EMS response capabilities. The 1.3 million dollar station that was approved by voters in the 2001 Bond Election meets that PIAL recommendation and will increase the fire department’s overall ISO points for their next evaluation. More importantly, "the people living in the area will fill an immediate impact of the quickness of service, as the crews stationed there will improve response times to the are by several minutes in some cases, said Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran.

The following are the logistics of the Grand Opening ceremony:

EVENT: Fire Station 13 Grand Opening

When:Tuesday, August 3, 2004

Where:Fire Station 13

5915 W. 70^th (Corner of Cottonwood and W. 70^th, across from Turner Elementary and Huntington High School)

Time:11:00 a.m.

Scheduled to Speak: Mayor Keith Hightower, Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran, City Councilman Theron Jackson