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”.

The division is comprised of three sections: Administration, Operations and Information Technology.  The Chief of Communications is in command, and responsible for all aspects of the division operation.

The Administration Section is assigned two  Assistant Chief of Communications, one of which is in command of operations, and the other is responsible for training and quality assurance.  One Management Assistant, responsible for accreditation, and one Administrative Assistant provide administrative support for the division.

The Information Technology Section consists of two  Information Technology Specialists, one responsible for training and software issues and the other responsible for hardware issues for the department.

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

This division serves as the initial recipient of all 9-1-1 calls originating within Caddo Parish.  They are 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, and when required, relocate these resources to provide adequate protection to all areas of the city.  This division also provides dispatching services for the eight Caddo Parish Fire Districts.

During the year 2011, Fire Communications Officers processed over 260,000 incoming 9-1-1 calls and an estimated 50,000 calls on the regular 7-digit telephone numbers.  Of those calls, over 37,000 resulted in actual events within the city limits of Shreveport, and over 11,000 events for the Caddo Parish Fire Districts. Complete annual reports for the division are available: 2008,  2009,  2010,  2011.

The division has an annual operating budget of 3.3 million dollars, of which 3.1 million is allocated for personnel costs.  The division offset 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 $295,000 in cash reimbursements annually.

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 was re-accredited in July, 2009 and is due for reassessment in 2012.