Provided Services

The Fire Communications Division of the Shreveport Fire Department is a nationally accredited agency that provides a variety of support services to the department and serves as Caddo Parish’s “Gateway to Public Safety.”
 

Divisions

The Chief of Communications is in command and responsible for all aspects of division operation. The division is comprised of three sections:

• Administration
• Operations
• Information Technology

Administration

The Administration section is assigned an Assistant Chief of Communications who commands operations, and oversees training and quality assurance.  Additionally, there are two Management Assistants: one is in charge of accreditation and the other provides administrative support for the division.

Information Technology

The Information Technology section consists of two Information Technology Specialists: one provides employee training and oversees software issues, and the other specialist identifies and corrects hardware issues for the department.

Operations

The Operations section of the division is made up of eight supervisors (FCOII) and 32 fire communications officers (FCOI). All officers are required to be certified Basic Telecommunicators and Emergency Medical Dispatchers.

This division serves as the primary answering point for all 9-1-1 calls originating within Caddo Parish. The division is also responsible for processing all emergency and non-emergency requests for service received by the Shreveport Fire Department and the Caddo 9-1-1 system. Personnel of this division maintain a constant file on the location and status of all fire personnel and equipment/apparatus.  When required, personnel will relocate these resources to provide adequate protection to all areas of the city. This division also provides dispatching services for the seven Caddo Parish Fire Districts.

Annual Statistics

During the year 2020, Fire Communications Officers processed over 220,191 incoming 9-1-1 calls and 25,262 calls on the regular seven-digit telephone numbers. Of those calls, 44,871 resulted in actual events within the city limits of Shreveport and 12,719 events for the Caddo Parish Fire Districts. Complete annual reports for the division are available for years 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Accounting

The division has an annual operating budget of 3.9 million dollars, of which 3.1 million is allocated for personnel costs. The division offsets some of the costs associated with equipment purchases, equipment maintenance, and facility by entering into cooperative agreements with other agencies. This generates in excess of $350,000 in cash reimbursements annually.

National Accreditation

The Fire Communications Division received national accreditation in July 2003 through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) Public Safety Communication Center Accreditation process. Our division was the first accredited communications center in the State of Louisiana and the only Fire Communications Center in the nation to receive this coveted award. Members of the Communications Division are active in a variety of professional organizations and work diligently to promote professional excellence in the public safety communications industry. The division received its fifth re-accreditation award in May 2019.  The Communications Division is slated to receive its sixth award December 2022.
 

Feedback

The Communications Division encourages both positive and negative feedback concerning citizen interaction with members of our agency. If you have a complaint, comment, or commendation, please refer to the Shreveport Fire website and select SERVICES and Citizen Complaint Form options. Please do not hesitate to file a complaint or commendation when necessary. This information is invaluable to the Shreveport Fire Department's continuing effort to provide the best possible service to our community.