Lafourche Parish is located in south east Louisiana. The population is approximately 96,318 (2010 census) and the parish has a total area of 1,472 square miles of which 1,085 square miles is land and 388 square miles (26.32%) is water.

In April 1984, Lafourche Parish Communications District was created by R.S. 33:9101 to 9106 passed Parish Ordinance # 1484.  The Parish Ordinance has been amended several times as it pertains to board appointments.  The present Ordinance # 2339 was adopted in September 1995. This ordinance allowed for the creation of a seven-member citizen board to establish policies and to provide oversight to the 9-1-1 system and to the 9-1-1 staff.

On October 7, 1989, the voters of Lafourche Parish approved a surcharge on residential and business telephone access lines to fund the development, implementation and operation of 9-1-1 in Lafourche Parish. The collections began on January 1, 1990.

In September of 1992, Lafourche Parish’s enhanced 911 system went on line which was run by the Raceland Fire Department.  In 1993, Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office ran the operations in the interim for one year, until the District decided to hire their own staff to manage the operations.

In the 1999 Louisiana Legislative Session R.S. 33:9101 to 9106 was amended through Act 1029 relative to Communications Districts.  On January 1, 2000, the District began to levy a surcharge on wireless customers to fund the implementation of wireless 9-1-1, Phase 1, per FCC mandate 94-102. Act 737 of the 2004 Legislative Session was passed which requires multi-line phone systems to provide automatic location information.

Lafourche Parish 9-1-1 is solely funded by the surcharge on telephone service on both wire line and wireless access lines.  The rate for residential wire line is $ 0.64, business is $ 1.54 capped at 100 lines and the wireless rate is $ 0.85.

Lafourche Parish is served by an Enhanced 9-1-1 system.  The name, address, and phone number of the telephone used to dial 9-1-1 is displayed on the computer screen at the PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) located at 111 Dunkleman Drive, Raceland.

On October 18, 2011 the Communications District relocated its Public Safety Answering Point to its newly constructed facility located at 111 Dunkleman Drive in Raceland.

In Lafourche Parish there are three primary dispatching agencies that are equipped with terminals to display the caller’s information and mapping. The three primary dispatching agencies in Lafourche Parish are Thibodaux Police Department, Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office, and Lafourche Parish Fire Protection District # 3.  Thibodaux Police Department dispatches all calls for their agency and Thibodaux Volunteer Fire Department.  Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office provides dispatching for Lockport and Golden Meadow Police Departments, and all North and Central Lafourche Fire Departments.  Lafourche Parish Fire Protection District # 3 dispatches all fire departments in District # 3 and Lafourche Ambulance District.  All calls for State Police Troop C are transferred to a dedicated seven (7) digit emergency line.  Calls for Acadian Ambulance service are transferred directly to their dispatch located in Lafayette.  For all calls received outside of Lafourche Parish the caller is transferred directly to the Parish, where the incident occurred.

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