The City of Lake Charles, Louisiana

A lifelong resident of Lake Charles, Chief Carter grew up in the Goosport area of the city. He eventually finished his last years of high school at Lake Charles-Boston H.S. which is when he joined the Army during his senior year to become a 19 Delta Cavalry Scout.

After completing basic training, his first duty station was Fort Hood, Texas. It wasn’t long before he was sent overseas to Saudi Arabia, where he would spend nearly a year serving during the Gulf War. He returned to Fort Hood but eventually went back to the Middle East for three more tours. Chief Carter also did tours on all seven continents during his 15-year time in service.

Chief Carter joined the Lake Charles Fire Department in 1999. He said being a firefighter was physically demanding and he knew a lengthy career riding on the fire truck was not in the cards. He left the fire department briefly to work in the industrial field, but once he returned, a new opportunity came his way.

Chief Carter passed the test required to get into the fire department’s training division in 2002. Over the next three years, he received a number of certifications and attended an instructor class at Louisiana State University. “Everything you train your guys on, you have to be certified,” he said. “I had to go back to an academy to teach at an academy.”

While in the training division, Carter said the qualifications evolved. To attend classes at the National Fire Academy in Maryland, a bachelor’s degree was required. Chief Carter enrolled in Columbia Southern University in Alabama 2013. He first got an associate’s degree in fire science, then his bachelor’s degree in fire administration, and continuing on to receive his MBA in Human Resource Management all while continuing to teach at the fire academy. “It wasn’t easy, but I knew I needed to do it, I needed to separate myself from the pack,” he said.

Chief Carter was promoted as the fire department’s Chief Training Officer in March 2021 before becoming the Fire Chief of the Lake Charles Fire Department by appointment from Mayor Nic Hunter and an adopted resolution from the Lake Charles City Council in support of his decision on January 5 of 2022.  

The Lake Charles Fire Department (LCFD) serves the City of Lake Charles and the Ward 3 metro area. The area served is rapidly expanding both in size and population. The LCFD is constantly reviewing and updating equipment and procedures to better serve our citizens.

The LCFD was formed in 1876 with a team of firefighters using horse-drawn fire wagons to respond to emergencies. The department evolved through the years and the first fire station in the Lake Charles area was located at the corner of Pujo and Bilbo streets. The five-member department that existed in 1890 has grown to now include more than 180 firefighters, and we are constantly recruiting new members to better serve the Lake Area.

The Administrative division oversees the day-to-day operations of the department. This division maintains records of all personnel, training, maintenance of vehicles and facilities, budgets and financial data which it organizes, analyzes and prioritizes in order that recommendations may be directed to the Fire Chief.

The Fire Fighting/Fire Suppression (Operations) division is the largest division within the department. Employees in this division are qualified to control and extinguish fires, respond to hazardous materials emergencies and other situations requiring emergency response.

The Bureau of Fire Prevention is the division of the LCFD which provides fire prevention services (Section 103, 2003 International Fire Code) to the community through fire plan reviews, fire suppression tests, and fire and life safety inspections, fire investigations, public education and official records management.

Communications division employees must have the ability to perform under stressful situations. This division is responsible for operating communications equipment, maintaining records, and other duties in the communications center of the fire department. They answer fire telephones, dispatch fire fighting equipment and keep simple records of these activities following department procedures. Employees in this division keep track of the location and condition of each unit at all times. This division receives and transmits messages to and from the fire scene and to and from related department personnel and notifies all specified officers or special units of all working fires.

The Maintenance division is responsible for maintaining the department's vehicles and ensuring they are inspected and in a constant state of readiness. Personnel in this department must be skilled in the repair and maintenance of fire department automotive and fire fighting equipment and related work as required. Work of this class primarily involves responsibility for personally performing skilled tasks in the general repair and maintenance of fire pumps, heavy fire apparatus, automobiles and related equipment.

The Training division's primary responsibility is to develop the intellectual and physical competencies of each fire department member. The educational programs set forth by this division are designed to improve firefighting tactics, emergency rescue and hazardous material response to better serve the community.

The Research and Statistical Analysis division assists the Fire Chief in researching, planning and coordinating fire department operations with an emphasis on estimating fire ratings in accordance with the Property Insurance Association of Louisiana (PIAL).