Napoleonville Fire Department purchases new equipment with help from The Dow Chemical Company

Louisiana - March 21, 2006

	Member of the Napoleonville Volunteer Fire Department show off their new protective and identifiable jump suites bought with a grant received from The Dow Chemical Company. The new suits and equipment have increased the emergency medical services offered to the surrounding community.

The Napoleonville Volunteer Fire Department can now do their job a little safer with their new identifiable safety suits. Two years ago the fire department decided to assemble a First Responder Team to decrease the response time for medical emergencies in the area.  This new service is not only critical to its 5,000 residence, but also to the hundreds of motorists passing through each day.

The emergency response team is now in its third year of operation and due to its rural location, has become an extremely valuable resource to the community.  At the end of last year, the twelve member team began to find that the department lacked essential equipment needed to do their job safely and efficiently.  With the help of a $1,500 Dow community grant, the Napoleonville First Responder Team was able to purchase protective and identifiable uniform jumpsuits for its twelve members.  The grant also aided in providing essential medical supplies for the first responder and rescue program.

“Because of our rural location, our services are valuable to our community due to sometimes extended response times,” Napoleon Volunteer Fire Department Chief Don Blanchard said.  “The grant allowed us to enhance our emergency medical services to our community.”

With help from The Dow Chemical Company and others, the Napoleonville Volunteer Fire Department has become a multifaceted group of individuals that are well prepared to provide a wide array of services to its surrounding community.

For Editorial Information:

Gary Cambre
The Dow Chemical Company
(225) 353-8265