The St. George Fire Protection District is an independent political subdivision of the State of Louisiana. The purpose of the District is to provide for the fire, emergency medical, and other emergency response needs of the over 100,000 people living within its boundaries.
Those boundaries cover 83.63 square miles and include the majority of East Baton Rouge Parish that is located south and east of the city limits of Baton Rouge.
The District is supported solely by taxes and fees that the Citizens of the District have voted to impose upon themselves. The District receives no general fund support from East Baton Rouge Parish, the City of Baton Rouge or the State of Louisiana. Services are provided by the St. George Fire Department. The Department is operated by the District, which is governed by a five-member Board of Commissioners, whose members are appointed by the East Baton Rouge Parish Metropolitan Council. Our Fire Chief, Gerard C. Tarleton, reports to this Board of Commissioners.
The St. George Fire Department is a career fire department. The Department operates eight engine companies and three ladder companies out of eight fire stations. This makes St. George one of the ten largest fire departments in Louisiana.
The Department holds a Property Insurance Association of Louisiana (the State's fire insurance rating authority) Class 2 rating; with 1 being the highest possible rating, and 10 the lowest. This rating places St. George within the top 2% of fire departments nationally.
Our citizens reside in numerous well-established as well as rapidly developing suburban residential areas. The District is also home to many well-know Baton Rouge area commercial, medical and governmental facilities.
The St. George Fire Department began in 1966 as a non-profit corporation entitled "Village St. George Volunteer Fire Department and Social Club"when a group of neighbors banded together to provide protective services for their families, friends and neighbors who lived in what was then a largely rural area outside the city limits of Baton Rouge.
Over the span of a few decades, the St. George Fire Department has, due to the continued support of its Citizens, grown with the District. In addition to emergency response, the Department provides a full array of services including inspections, public education programs, and a variety of community outreach activities. The portion of East Baton Rouge Parish which it serves remains one of the most economically vibrant areas of the State as well an attractive place to live.
