Did you know that for over a century the fire trucks in Opelousas had names? That used to be a custom in this town as well as many other towns and cities across the U.S.
Let’s talk about that.
Several days ago I received a message from Debbie Harmon Payne asking if I would know who the Opelousas fire truck “Sid” was named for. It seems John Saucier had contacted her with this question.
I was able to let them know that particular truck for named for Sidney Brown, who had been the Fire Chief in Opelousas during the 1930s. Toward the end of that decade, the Sid Brown family relocated to Jeanerette and eventually to Baton Rouge. When the truck was named for Chief Brown in 1957, he was deceased, and his wife came to Opelousas from Baton Rouge for the ceremony. Reviewing this information made me think about other fire trucks in Opelousas that were named for local folks. It seems that custom was started in our town just after the Hope, Hook and Ladder Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 was created during the 1870s.