As Winter Storm Fern coated Webster Parish with ice and made travel dangerous, emergency responders adapted by working extended hours, sharing resources and, in some cases, sleeping at their posts to ensure services continued uninterrupted.
Webster Parish 911 dispatchers set up operations inside the courthouse when icy roads prevented many employees who live outside the parish from commuting. Those who were able to reach work stayed on site for the duration of the storm, sleeping on cots and relying on other agencies for basic necessities.
“911 dispatchers were living in the courthouse because I have a lot of employees who live out of the parish and could not get to work so, those of us who did, lived there. We slept on cots, we ate sandwiches,” said Angie Chapman, director of Webster Parish 911. “Brian [Williams] brought us chicken one day and brought us to the hospital the next day for a hot meal and a shower. Thank God for the shower; it’s the little things you don’t think about.”
Chapman said call volume related specifically to the weather was lower than expected, largely due to proactive patrols by law enforcement.
“I was asked during the committee meeting if we had a lot of 911 calls due to the weather, and the answer is really ‘no’ because law enforcement were so proactive in being out on the streets watching for stranded motorists and wrecks,” she said. “We were monitoring law enforcement channels, and it was constantly officers and deputies reporting problems they were addressing. It was cold work and, after about six hours, they started sounding tired, but they were still working,” Chapman said.
Despite the storm, Chapman said routine emergencies continued.
“Just because there’s an ice emergency doesn’t mean that the other emergencies stop,” she said. “We still have our sick people, we still have our fires, and we still have people needing law enforcement there.”
Law enforcement agencies across the parish and region also coordinated responses, including cross-parish assistance during medical emergencies. Sheriff Jason Parker said the Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office worked with neighboring agencies to transport family members during the storm.
“We were part of a relay-type effort that carried a young wife and her mother to a Shreveport where her husband was recovering from a serious injury,” Parker said. “Bienville Parish Sheriff John Ballance called us for assistance and we met his deputy at the parish line, transported the ladies to Bossier Parish where we handed them over to Sheriff Julian Whittington’s deputy. They were then taken to the hospital. We were happy to play a part in that.”
Parker said advance planning played a critical role in the parish’s overall response.
“When we heard the forecasts, we immediately began making schedule changes and securing our equipment,” he said. “We communicated with all the agencies in the parish and made sure our efforts would be coordinated. Everyone did their part. We came out of this in good shape because of the dedication of the men and women who serve this parish.”
Within the city, Minden Police Chief Jared McIver said officers worked through the storm to keep roads passable and assist those in need.
“I’m proud of our men and women who worked for days on caffeine and naps to ensure that we kept the roads safe and helped all those who needed assistance,” McIver said. He also credited residents for limiting travel. “I am proud of our citizens who helped make our job easier by staying home for the first two to three days of the storm.”
Fire and rescue operations expanded beyond typical duties, according to OEP Director Brian Williams. His department sanded access points to the hospital and emergency room, assisted ambulance services in rural areas using Humvees, and worked with Louisiana State Police to help motorists stranded on Interstate 20. They delivered water, food, blankets and fuel using department ATVs and helped reroute a fuel truck to Minden to relieve traffic backups.
Williams also described a major response at Highway 79 and Miller Road, where ice caused a large vehicle accident and a tow truck slid into a ditch.
“Without Teddy Holloway’s guys, the bulldozer, and the sand truck … we had three ambulances with patients — two of them from Monroe trying to get to Shreveport — that would have put them another three hours to Shreveport,” Williams said. “Thankfully, we were able to shorten that response time.”
Chapman praised Williams’ role in supporting dispatchers and other agencies during the storm.
“You guys just don’t know what a gem you have,” she said. “He made sure we had everything we needed, he did the best he could to answer every call for any type of request we had the whole time we were there, and we were in it to win it.”
Mayor Nick Cox said preparation and coordination were key factors in the city’s ability to weather the storm.
“We made it through this winter storm because preparation and coordination mattered,” Cox said. “The City learned a lot from previous winter events, and that experience allowed our crews to respond with anticipation instead of reaction. Our infrastructure held up well, and the teamwork between City of Minden public works, Minden public safety, the Webster Parish Police Jury, and Louisiana DOTD paid off in a big way. When local and state agencies work together, the citizens are the ones who benefit.”
The response to Winter Storm Fern demonstrated how preparation, communication and cooperation across agencies can lessen the impact of extreme weather, ensuring that critical services remained available and residents received assistance when they needed it most.
