Washington Parish Fire District 5 recently held a retirement supper to show its appreciation to J.M. “Mike” Pittman for his many years of service to the district.

President of the board of directors at the time of his retirement, Pittman was instrumental in starting a fire department for Angie in 1966, one of the first volunteer fire departments in the parish.

He also served as fire chief for many years until his retirement from that position in 2002.

During the supper, held at a local restaurant, Pittman was presented with a gift and regaled with humorous stories about his time working with the department.

A history of the department was also shared, and attendees heard about how District 5 has grown from the time the first fire truck was purchased in 1966 until today.

Last month, the district learned its Property Insurance Association of Louisiana grading has improved to Class 5, its best grading yet.

The district’s current chief is Keith Knight.

The new board president is Hoyt “Chick” Boyd, who was one of the department’s charter members, along with Pittman.