IBERIA PARISH — For the first time in city history, the Jeanerette Fire Department has been awarded a Class 4 rating by the Property Insurance Association of Louisiana. Every five years, fire stations are assessed and given a score on a scale from one to ten, one being the best, ten being the worst. The system evaluates departments on water supply, personnel, training, fire apparatus, dispatch systems, and community risk reduction.
This year, Jeanerette Fire climbed from a Class 5 to a Class 4 under Chief Sherry Landry’s leadership— a milestone years in the making.
“My first rating was shortly after I became fire chief, and this is my second one,” Landry said. “My goal was always to improve, and this year we did it. We actually did it. We went from a 5 to a 4 on my second rating. It was definitely a blessing, and I couldn’t have done it without my members.”
Landry has served as chief since 2018, but she said becoming a firefighter was never part of her plan.
“I delivered mail for a living, and the application process came and the deadline left,” she said. “And on that very last day, something just hit me like, ‘This is what you were born to do. This is your calling.’ I went to the council and asked them for 24 hours to put my application in because I really wanted to do this.”
Before that, Landry had been reluctant to even join the volunteer fire department. But after one training drill, she was hooked.
“I went to one drill and I never left,” she said.
When asked what she loves most about the job, Landry didn’t hesitate.
“The people,” she said. “I love people. I’m a people person. I grew up here, and this is very personal for me. Not just business or a job. It’s an awesome feeling to know that I’m able to be there for people in their most vulnerable moments or the most exciting moments of their lives.”
The new Class 4 rating could also bring financial relief to Jeanerette homeowners. Insurance companies use the Public Protection Classification system when setting homeowners' insurance rates, meaning a lower score can translate to lower premiums.
When I started knocking on doors to share that news, I met Margaret, a retired homeowner who said the potential savings would mean a lot for families like hers.
“Right now it’s too high,” she said. “It’s went up in the last couple of years about $200, so that makes our house note go up $200. We’re retired people, and we really don’t need an extra amount on any bills. That would help us a lot if the insurance could go down because of the fire department.”
