The St. Bernard Parish Fire Chief has been selected to lead the Lafayette Fire Department.
Lafayette Mayor-President Monique Boulet announced that she's selected Earl Borden as the next Fire Chief of the Lafayette Fire Department.
“Today marks the beginning of a new chapter, and I'm ready to get to work. Together we will honor the past, meet the demands of the present, and build an even stronger future for the Lafayette Fire Department,” Borden said at the announcement.
He replaces Robert Benoit, who retired from the job after almost 50 years of service to the department.
“I'll tell you that I feel like I've been preparing for this moment for a really, really long time,” Borden said. “I did a lot of the things through the experience in the fire department and the professional development.”
Boulet said Borden's selection "follows an extensive evaluation process that included civil service testing, Louisiana Office of State Examiner assessments, multiple rounds of structured interviews, and final panel review. The process was designed to identify a leader with the experience, integrity, and vision necessary to lead the State’s fourth largest fire department." To see one of our stories about the process, click here.
“A community must feel safe to grow. This decision and this announcement today was not taken lightly,” Boulet said.
Eleven people applied for the job; seven are current members of the Lafayette Fire Department. In addition to Borden, there also were applications from New Orleans, Scott and Maryland. To see the applicants' names and read their resumes, click here.
Here's what the Boulet administration's release about Borden says:
"Chief Borden brings more than two decades of leadership and experience in fire and emergency services to Lafayette with over three of those years as Fire Chief of the St. Bernard Parish Fire Department. He is expected to complete his Doctor of Education in Organizational Change and Leadership from the University of Southern California in 2026. He holds a Master of Science in Fire and Emergency Management Administration from Oklahoma State University and a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration with concentrations in Fire Science and Emergency and Disaster Management, from Upper Iowa University. He is also a graduate of the National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer Program and the International Association of Fire Chiefs’ Fire Service Executive Development Institute, widely recognized as two of the premier executive development programs for fire service leaders in the United States. Throughout his career, Chief Borden has demonstrated exceptional leadership, including key roles within the St. Bernard Fire Department. His operational, administrative, and strategic experience positions him to lead a large, multifaceted department while advancing organizational performance and strengthening community safety."
Boulet said Borden "stood out at every stage. His steady leadership, strategic vision, and commitment to Lafayette earned him overwhelming support from the evaluation panel. I have full confidence that Chief Borden will bring stability, accountability, and a forward-thinking approach to the department.”
Borden said his outside experience gives him a valuable perspective on innovation within the department. “To get outside and see what other fire departments are doing around the state – even the country – and see that we want to stay on the up and up cutting edge technology. There's new tactics, new techniques, new technologies,” he said.
He emphasized that he aims to chart a forward-thinking path while preserving the department’s longstanding legacy. “What a great honor, what a great opportunity to actually get selected to be the fire chief of a major city in the state of Louisiana,” Borden said.
At a press conference Wednesday morning, Borden said "I look forward to working with department personnel, city leadership, and community stakeholders to build upon the department’s strong foundation while continuing to advance operational excellence, firefighter safety, and high-quality service to the citizens of Lafayette.”
Here's a video of the presser:
