The Lafayette Fire Department adds 17 new recruits. The graduation ceremony is scheduled for Friday at the Domingue Recreation Center.

Lafayette Fire Chief Robert Benoit says the challenge has been the pay scale in comparison to the private sector. Plus, the chief says sales taxes reflect what the general fund could have to payout.

Benoit says the Lafayette is not out of the woods just yet. The next hurdle is staff retention. Benoit explains the positive is that Lafayette offers a decent pay for a city of its size; that’s helps to attract applicants. “Hopefully that trend will continue and we will be able to keep an active list to hire as people move out for whatever reason or transition into retirement,” Benoit adds.

Lafayette has 14 fire stations, 13 are engine companies and the main station is strictly administration. The chief says a new fire station will be needed. “We’re hoping in the future we will be able to build that station, hire the additional firefighters to staff that, and maintain our class two rating; because as the city continues to grow then the fire department has to grow with it,” Benoit notes.

“It’s not so much the physical aspect. It’s mentally being prepared,” LFD recruit Benjamin Jones says.

Jones moved here from Dallas to be firefighter. “I always wanted to be a firefighter and as a young kid I thought maybe it’s just a thing that children want to do. As I got older, I kind of got a taste for it and later understood that this what i want to do,” Jones says.

Chief Benoit says it’s important to have a fully staffed fire department. “You have more people working together that’s less physical stress on the firefighters who are having to extinguish the fire, protect exposures and rescue people at the same time,” says Chief Benoit.