The Lake Charles Fire Department will celebrate a century and a half of service this October with a historical exhibit and a free community event at Millennium Park.

The Lake Charles Fire Department will mark 150 years of service this fall, tracing a history that began with horse-drawn fire wagons in 1876 and now includes more than 180 firefighters serving Lake Charles and the surrounding Ward 3 area.

The City of Lake Charles has scheduled two public events for October to commemorate the anniversary: a historical exhibit at Central School on Oct. 22 and a Family Fun Day at Millennium Park on Oct. 24. Both events are open to the public.

From horse-drawn wagons to more than 180 firefighters

The Lake Charles Fire Department was formed in 1876, when firefighters responded to emergencies using horse-drawn fire wagons.

According to the city, the area's first fire station was located near the corner of Pujo and Bilbo streets.

By 1890, the department consisted of just five firefighters.

Today, LCFD has grown to more than 180 firefighters and serves both the City of Lake Charles and the Ward 3 metropolitan area. Department personnel currently staff eight fire stations and 15 fire companies throughout the Lake Charles/Ward 3 area.

The department's responsibilities have also expanded well beyond structure fires.

LCFD personnel respond to hazardous-material incidents, vehicle extrications, medical emergencies and other calls requiring emergency response. The department also operates fire-prevention, inspection, investigation, training and public-education functions.

The department is currently led by Fire Chief Delton Carter, who joined LCFD in 1999 and was appointed chief in 2022.

Historical exhibit planned for Oct. 22

The anniversary celebration begins Thursday, Oct. 22, with a Historical Art Exhibit at the Central School Arts & Humanities Center.

The event will run from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

According to the city, the exhibit will use historical artwork and displays to highlight the department's history and traditions.

The event provides an opportunity to look back at a department whose history stretches across dramatic changes in Lake Charles itself — from a small late-19th-century community relying on horse-drawn equipment to a modern regional fire service operating multiple stations and specialized divisions.

Family Fun Day follows Oct. 24

Two days later, the anniversary moves outside.

LCFD Family Fun Day is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 24, from 3 to 6 p.m. at Millennium Park.

The city says the free event will feature live music from The Good Dudes and Barbe High School's The Last Hour Show Choir.

Other activities will include:

• fire and emergency-service static displays;
• food trucks and vendors;
• children's activities; and
• car-seat safety checks.

Admission is free.

The event is intended not only to commemorate the department's past but also to give residents a closer look at the people and equipment involved in modern fire service.

Chief Carter described the anniversary as an opportunity to recognize generations of firefighters who have served Lake Charles while also recognizing those continuing that work today.

150 years of a changing Lake Charles

The anniversary also offers a useful measure of how much the city — and the job of protecting it — has changed.

A department that once consisted of a handful of firefighters responding by wagon now serves a much larger urban and suburban area with specialized personnel, apparatus and emergency-response capabilities.

The Fire Fighting and Suppression Division alone responds to thousands of emergency calls and hundreds of vehicle extrications each year, according to the city.

LCFD also maintains dedicated administrative, fire-prevention, communications, training, maintenance and planning functions.

Its current stations stretch from Moeling Street and Broad Street to Big Lake Road and Tybee Lane, reflecting the expansion of Lake Charles far beyond the footprint served by the original department.

For two days in October, however, the focus will be less on the next emergency call and more on the century and a half that came before it.

Lake Charles Fire Department 150th Anniversary Events

Historical Art Exhibit
Thursday, Oct. 22
5:30–7:30 p.m.
Central School Arts & Humanities Center

LCFD Family Fun Day
Saturday, Oct. 24
3–6 p.m.
Millennium Park
Free admission

Additional information is available through the City of Lake Charles.

About the Author

Dalton Barron covers real estate, infrastructure, development, public records and the underlying numbers shaping Southwest Louisiana for 337.NEWS.

Barron is also a licensed Louisiana real estate agent with NextHome Bayou Pines.

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