Five qualify for Ville Platte Fire Chief position

The Ville Platte Fire Chief applicants scores are in. The question now is who, out of the five applicants, will be appointed to fill the fire chief position.
The official retirement of former Ville Platte and Fire District No. 2 Fire Chief Ted Demoruelle on July 1 of this year has left the position vacant. Demoruelle opted to use all of his sick leave and vacation time before officially retiring from the position he held since 2005.
With Demoruelle out on sick leave for a little over a year and a half before officially retiring, assistant fire chief and fire chief applicant Christopher Harrison, assumed the role as interim chief.
Now, however, with Demoruelle’s retirement official, the city can finally prepare for the appointment of a new chief.
One of the requirements to become fire chief is that each applicant score at least a 75 or better on the state’s fire chief civil service test.
With all of the applicants having taken the civil service test, the Ville Platte Fire and Police Civil Service Board used their Wednesday meeting to review the scores of each of the applicants to determine who is eligible to become the next fire chief.
The five men who scored the necessary grade for applying fire chief are position of chief are Christopher Soileau, Hunter Soileau, Christopher Harrison, Blake Perron, and Jacob Demoruelle.
Who will be appointed to the position of fire chief will now fall on the shoulders of Ville Platte Mayor Jennifer Vidrine. When this appointment will be made, though, is still unknown.
“I have not decided on a specific time that I will appoint a new fire chief,” Vidrine said. “What I can say is that the appointment will take place at one of our council meetings, but I have not decided which meeting it will be done at.”