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As a provider of life safety alarms and communication systems, Firequest is familiar with the demands associated with being an essential business. But the term “essential” has taken on a whole new meaning in the past year, and with it has come new challenges.
Firequest designs, installs and services fire and security systems, voice data communication systems and similar products. The most important portion of Firequest’s business is health care facilities on the frontlines of fighting the coronavirus pandemic. Other clients are in the education and hospitality fields, which have spent the past year grappling with changes to how they conduct business.
AT A GLANCE
Primary product/service:
Commercial low-voltage systems contractors specializing in design, installation and maintenance of alarm, security and communication systems and specialty cablingTop executives:
Mike Gullett and O’Neil Falgoust, Co-FoundersYear founded: 2001
Phone: [225] 275-2575
Website: firequest.net
Even as they watched other businesses shutter and family and friends cope with the challenges of the pandemic, Firequest employees have remained committed to keeping life safety systems running smoothly. Technical and installation teams worked around the clock responding to emergency service calls. They moved up deadlines to help clients meet quickly evolving needs.
“Our employees and their families have endured floods, freezes and a season of back-to-back hurricanes, but none of those situations compared to working through the uncertainty of the pandemic,” says co-founder Mike Gullett. “I would never imply that we were as heroic as all of those health care workers, but our field staff was required to enter facilities that were COVID positive to ensure their life safety systems were functional, properly operating and protecting everyone.”
Not a single call for service has gone unanswered despite the uptick in demand during the pandemic, Gullett says, and every construction project’s deadline was met—and in some cases, projects were finished early.
For example, Our Lady of the Lake fast-tracked a project to be ready six months ahead of schedule, and “our installation team responded,” Gullett says. “Baton Rouge needed those hospital beds.”
Helping ensure the security and success of local businesses has been at the heart of Firequest from the start. Gullett, along with co-founder O’Neil Falgoust, had years of experience in the field when they decided to venture out on their own and launch Firequest in 2001.
“We began receiving more and more referrals, taking down and dispatching service calls sitting around the coffee table each morning,” Falgoust recalls. “Fast forward to now … here we are 20 years later with 22 employees, a full construction engineering side, installation, service and maintenance sectors.”
He says he’s proud not only of how much the company has grown, but also “what we’ve helped the people that work for us do.” Firequest employees have the unique opportunity to be part of a growing small business that allows them to provide for their families and keep people in their community safe.
“We have an excellent team here and each of us looks out for the other,” Falgoust says. “We all have the same mentality of ensuring Firequest is here for them and for their customers for many years to come.”
