Minden keeps volunteer firefighter pay same

At the request of Minden Fire Chief Kip Mourad, his volunteer firefighters will continue receiving $19 from the City of Minden each time they are called to a scene.

“The total for this year was $74,447 (volunteer pay),” he said. “I appreciate the vote to keep it like it is.”

Members of the Minden City Council, with the exception of District E Councilman Benny Gray, voted to keep the pay for volunteers at $19 per response. Gray – a volunteer firefighter – cited a conflict of interest and abstained from voting.

Mourad “hit the highlights” of his annual report for city council members Monday during the final meeting of 2015.

“Total fires was 222 with 49 drills, which is a total of 271 responses,” Mourad said. “Total nonemergency runs were 94.”

Examples of nonemergency runs include – but are not limited to – approval of leaf or trash burning, small gasoline spill, alarm malfunction, natural gas smell, carbon monoxide detector activation, elevator incidents or body removal.

Firefighters responded to 31 total rescue calls – 29 were motor vehicle accidents, 7 of which were inside the city limits and 22 outside. Other calls were for trapped/pinned or lift assist rescue.

The department provided mutual aid 25 times for fires in 2015, offering support to Minden Fire District 10, Dixie Inn, Dubberly, Sibley and Bienville Fire Department.

In training, Mourad’s volunteers racked up 1,685.5 hours, while his 15 paid firefighters earned 5,727.5 hours.

ConocoPhillips provided the department with smoke detectors, and Mourad said 44 smoke detectors were distributed in 2015 – down from 48 in 2014.

“We have plenty more,” he said. “We go in houses all the time and ask the residents if they want smoke detectors. We will put them in for them – especially the elderly.”

Fire Prevention is another important program undertaken by the department each year.

Mourad told council members the fire department saw 1,454 children from preschool and pre-k up to third grade through the year as part of the program.