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Regular Session, 2013 ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 58
BY SENATOR CROWE
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To commend St. Tammany Parish Fire District No. 1 Fire Chief Larry Hess for his 48-year
career in fire protection upon his retirement in September 2013.
WHEREAS, in April, Chief Larry Hess, age 67, submitted a letter of resignation,
effective on September 30 of this year, ending his 48-year career in fire protection; and
WHEREAS, Chief Hess, ending his ten-year term as chief of the St. Tammany Parish
Fire District No. 1, thanked the board and others in the department while outlining what he
considered the signature accomplishments of his tenure as chief; and
WHEREAS, Hess remarked in his letter that he was pleased to leave "a financially
stable public safety agency" which was not the case with the district when he took over as
chief a decade ago; and
WHEREAS, during Hess' decade as chief, he stated that he and his staff operated the
department within its budget, while rolling back millage rates beyond that of any public
agency in St. Tammany Parish; and
WHEREAS, Hess stated that his administration had created a safer workplace for fire
fighters and improved professionalism among the district employees; and
WHEREAS, the chief also called attention to the paramedic program that was
implemented during his tenure and to the increased involvement of fire fighters and the
department in the surrounding community; and
WHEREAS, last fall the Property Insurance Association of Louisiana upgraded the
fire rating for the unincorporated areas of the parish, moving from a four to a three based
upon a scale of one to ten, with one being the best rating; and
WHEREAS, Hess said that the district implemented a strategic plan to improve the
rating of the unincorporated areas, which lagged behind the three rating attained in the
incorporated areas of the parish; and SCR NO. 58 ENROLLED
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WHEREAS, during his tenure the department increased staffing, developed new
record-keeping practices and equipment placement, all factors which figured in the improved
fire rating for the unincorporated areas of the parish; and
WHEREAS, prior to his designation as chief of St. Tammany Parish Fire District No.
1, Hess served as fire superintendent for St. Tammany Parish; and
WHEREAS, fire district board Chairman, Dan Crowley, noted the chief's emphasis
on the work of the district as a whole, not seeking individual credit for achievements; and
WHEREAS, Crowley especially noted that Hess has been "big about good order and
discipline" which Crowley valued in Hess' service as chief.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
commend and congratulate Fire Chief Larry Hess for his 48-year career in fire protection
upon his retirement in September 2013.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to Fire
Chief Larry Hess of St. Tammany Parish Fire District No. 1.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES