Ascension fire departments receive insurance rebate checks

Ascension Parish President Clint Cointment spent the morning visiting all the fire departments in the parish to distribute portions of a fire insurance premium rebate totaling $504,183.91 from the state’s Two Percent Fire Insurance Fund.

The 2 percent rebate amounts are based on a formula that was set by the state legislature. The annual payments represent funds collected from fees assessed on fire insurance premiums. The total amount that Ascension Parish received was calculated per capita, and category value determined from the total parish population, in addition to the number of persons serviced by each fire service unit.

“It’s an important part of our annual income,” said St. Amant Fire Chief James LeBlanc. “It helps to cover all expenses related to the fire department."

The Prairieville Volunteer Fire Department received the largest payment of $142,857.15, followed by Galvez/Lake Volunteer Fire Department receiving $71,867.43 Other fire departments receiving insurance rebate payments include:

• Fire District #2 - $12,343.31
• Geismar VFD - $39,124.42
• Fifth Ward VFD - $25,243.74
• Sorrento VFD - $23,228.41
• Gonzales Firefighters Association - $27,683.99
• Seventh District VFD - $49,144.40
• St. Amant VFD - $54,393.16 • Gonzales FD - $30,124.23
• Donaldsonville FD - $28,173.65

“These significant rebate amounts indicate the great job our firefighters are doing for the people of Ascension Parish,” Cointment said. “It was my pleasure and honor to meet with area fire chiefs as we handed out the checks.”