Present for the opening of Fire Station No. 8 in Poydras were St. Bernard Parish President Craig Taffaro, St. Bernard Parish Councilman-at-Large East Wayne Landry, and a number of FEMA and GOHSEP officials. Fire station staff present included Fire Chief Thomas Stone, Deputy Chief Leon Lea, District Chiefs Kevin Zanca and Craig Peyton, Captain Josh Punch, and Operators Justin Seaman and Reginald Bergeron.

St. Bernard Parish Government officially opened the last of its new fire stations on Tuesday, May 24. Fire Station No. 8 in Poydras is the seventh new fire station to be constructed with FEMA funding. Three additional stations were repaired.

According to Parish figures, the $2,274,000 in costs included the demolition of the old site, as well as construction on the new facility, completed by Braithwaite Construction.

St. Bernard Parish Fire Department Chief, Thomas Stone, was present for the opening, and lauded the efforts of both FEMA and the Parish.

“Five-years, eight-months later, we finally got the fire fighters out of the trailer,” Stone said.

John Connolly Sr. Public Assistance Advisor for FEMA, praised the firefighters and staff who will utilize this structure as a means of community protection.

“You are the first responders,” Connolly said. “We recognize that and the right for St. Bernard to decide its own destiny,” referring to the over $2 million dollars FEMA invested for the structure.