Homes facing demolition used in fire department training

Houma, Louisiana-based contractors began demolishing the first of several flood-damaged homes in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, that were purchased by the Bossier Parish Police Jury, a report by KTBS says. The homes were destroyed by flooding in 2009, 2015 and 2016.

Seven homes in total will be demolished by three contractors, the report says. The first home in the Tall Timbers subdivision was torn down by Justin J. Reeves LLC. Federal law states that nothing can be rebuilt on the site of homes purchased by police juries except for a parking lot or public park. The parish plans to clear and maintain the sites as parks.

The parish is working with the homeowners who have applied for buyouts. Bossier Parish Administrator Bill Altimus says in the report that the parish “is working on the outstanding applications every day.”

Altimus says the parish also decided to use the homes purchased by the police jury for another purpose. Before demolishing the other homes, the parish partnered with local rural fire chiefs to use the homes for training sessions before they were torn down. The report says East Central Fire District 1 crews used a home slated for demolition to train for roof ventilation. Robert Roe, chief of the district, says it was good for his men to “see what it’s like to have to cut through real roofing surface while sitting on the real pitch of a roof.”

South Bossier Parish Fire District 2 practiced creating escape routes in a wall at another home.