St. Tammany Fire Protection District No. 1

St. Tammany Fire Protection District No. 1 traces its roots to 1952, when it was formed as the first full-time, paid fire department on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain in St. Tammany Parish. Since then it has grown from a single engine house into what the district describes as one of the most progressive fire departments in southeast Louisiana, holding international accreditation since 2015 and a Class 2 Property Insurance Association of Louisiana rating.

The district now covers roughly 186 square miles, including about 121 inhabited square miles and 65 square miles of wetlands, serving an estimated population of 110,000 out of nine permanent fire stations plus a training academy, maintenance facility, and headquarters. Day-to-day operations run through five divisions -- Administration, Suppression, Fire Prevention, Communications, and Training and Safety -- with Suppression providing round-the-clock fire, rescue, hazmat, and EMS response and Communications operating as a secondary Public Safety Answering Point.

In 2025 the department responded to 9,841 calls, and its roster includes emergency medical responders, EMTs, and paramedics alongside fire suppression, prevention, and dispatch personnel. Training for new and incumbent members is centered at the Camp Villere training facility operated by the Training and Safety Division.

STFPD#1 hires firefighters through the Louisiana Office of State Examiner's civil service process rather than a standard job-application system. Candidates submit application materials to the district's Training Academy and then sit for the state civil service exam.