Retiring fire chief: Technology improved firefighting, fire prevention

Friday was Fire Chief Morris Price’s last day on the job as a full-time firefighter, a job he has worked his entire adult life, during which time technology has greatly improved firefighters ability to fight fires and prevent fires, he said.
Price, 51, started working at the Morgan City Fire Department 33 years ago in November 1981, he said. Price will officially retire May 1, 2015, after using up all the vacation time he has accumulated over the years, he said.
Price’s uncle, Gerald Price, who was fire chief at the time, hired Price. “He pretty much convinced me to come work here,” Price said.
Price’s older brothers, Lee and Charlie, also worked as firefighters with the department. Price’s younger brother, John Price, is currently an assistant chief.
Price’s son, Kyle Price; his nephew, Christopher Price; and his cousin, Gerald Price Jr. work at the fire department as well, he said. “So when we say it’s a family thing, it’s really a family thing here,” Price said.
Price served as fire chief five years after being appointed and confirmed by former Mayor Tim Matte and reappointed by Mayor Frank “Boo” Grizzaffi. Price was a fire captain for slightly more than 20 years, which he really enjoyed, he said. “Being chief was not bad,” Price said. “It was just completely different from being a line personnel to moving into a front office job.”
Coming out of high school, Price was a certified plate welder but decided not to pursue a career in that field. As a young man, Price did not plan to stay with the department for a long time, he said.
Technology has improved a lot during Price’s time as a firefighter, he said. “When I first started, we were still wearing the hip boots for fire gear and the long coat. And you’d get a helmet with no suspension in it and gloves from Aucoin’s,” Price said. “Now we’re buying leather fire boots that are up to your knees. We’re buying the firefighting pants and coat combos.”
Personal protection gear alone has improved “100 percent here locally,” Price said. “The techniques are still the same. You still have to get inside the burning house. You still have to put the wet stuff on the red stuff, but the way to get in there is a lot safer,” he said.
The fire department’s administrative staff now coordinates who does what while fighting fires compared to firefighters just doing what they wanted when Price first started, he said. The department has an accountability system that allows the department’s administration to know who is fighting the fire, he said. “That way if something bad happens, we know who to look for,” Price said.
The number of fires the department works each year has decreased dramatically, Price said. The department averages 12 to 15 working fires, or fires where flames are emitting from the building, annually. Thirty years ago, Morgan City saw at least 25 to 30 working fires every year, he said.
The national fire protection reporting system is now able to show national trends and alert people on the causes of fires, Price said. Smoke alarms and fuses that trip before burning are among the safety improvements Price has seen, he said.
Price plans to join the Morgan City Volunteer Fire Department to be able to continue fighting fires, he said. “It’ll be nice to go to the fire calls and not have to be the guy in charge,” Price said. “I’ve always enjoyed the firefighting aspect of the job.”
When Price started, the fire department had one portable radio on every fire truck and the chief officers had a portable radio, he said. “Now, almost every member of the department has a portable radio,” Price said. Thermal imagers help firefighters to find “hot spots” so they do not have to break down walls to locate those spots, he said. “Technology has really made a huge difference,” Price said.
While working as a firefighter, Price always worked another job to supplement his income, he said. Most of the full-time firefighters in the department work some kind of other job on their days off, he said.
“You’re never going to get rich being a fireman, but it’s always been a great job to me,” he said. “I couldn’t have imagined doing anything else for the last 33 years.”
Price plans to go back to working in the construction field, an industry he worked in previously when he owned a construction company before closing it upon moving into the fire department’s front office, he said.
Price served under four different chiefs before becoming chief himself commencing his firefighting career during C.R. “Doc” Brownell’s last term as mayor, he said.
Price plans to stay around the fire department in his retirement, he said. “We have a gym in the back that I helped build so I still come here every morning, pretty much every morning, to work out. This is where all my friends are,” Price said.
More people have gone through the department than Price can remember, he said. Just during his time as chief, more than 20 people have left the department to retire or go work offshore, he said.
The Morgan City Fire Department is governed by the same civil service board as the Morgan City Police Department.
Grizzaffi will call for a civil service fire chief’s test, advertise for the position and go through interviews to select a new fire chief, Price said. “Right around the time I’m officially out the door, he should have his new guy ready to go,” Price said.
Price expects eight to 10 department personnel to apply for the position of fire chief in addition to outside applicants, he said.
The department has four fire stations that must be staffed with at least two people at all times, he said. The fire department has 39 full-time employees.
Mark Stephens will serve as substitute chief until a new chief is appointed. Price will be available to help Stephens with any questions he may have in his new capacity, Price said.