Baton Rouge paramedics are getting a second shot at stardom.
The city has signed off on a contract with producers of a reality television show with the working title of "Nightwatch" to be aired on the A&E channel. The Metro Council unanimously approved the deal at its Wednesday meeting.
The show will follow city-parish Emergency Medical Services workers as they respond to incidents and transport patients to the hospital, as well as examining how paramedics are affected by their work, said Rowdy Gaudet, assistant chief administrative officer.
Councilman Matt Watson, who sponsored the contract, said it would be a great way to show off the department.
The matter passed quickly with no discussion, in sharp contrast to the last time a television crew wanted to document city-parish workers. Last year, producers sought permission to film members of the Police Department, but council members worried it was an exploitative maneuver by people trying to play up tension following the death of Alton Sterling and rejected the request.
Baton Rouge police and protesters won't be getting their television show after all — at least not any time soon.
A CBS series also expressed interest in filming paramedics about a year ago, but ultimately, they decided not to shoot in Baton Rouge.
City officials said they haven't gotten a production schedule for "Nightwatch."
Also at Wednesday's meeting, a contract with a company that hauls debris from demolished houses sailed through the council, despite much previous debate.
Some council members had been upset the bid might go to a company from New Orleans rather than from Baton Rouge, while others pointed out the New Orleans company offered a cheaper quote. Pro Tem Scott Wilson worried the city-parish might wind up in legal trouble if it didn't follow its public bid policy. That side won out Wednesday, and the contract was approved unanimously and without discussion.
The council also got an update on the East Baton Rouge storm water master plan. The city-parish has hired engineers to map and model the region's hydrology. Doing so is expected to help prioritize infrastructure projects to improve drainage. It is also expected to influence ongoing discussions about changing the local flood plain ordinance, which affects how buildings are constructed.
Fred Raiford, the city-parish's director of transportation and drainage, said the first phase of the plan should be delivered by the end of April. At that point, the city-parish may be able to discuss changing its building codes.
Frustrated that Baton Rouge hasn't substantially updated its floodplain and building regulations since the 2016 flood, residents came to deman…
Raiford sought to manage expectations. He acknowledged that many leaders are interested in tightening building requirements, though that's likely to raise construction costs, so the city-parish must weigh its options carefully and in public.
Having data will allow that debate, but Raiford cautioned that while the first set of data is on the way, there's still more engineering work to do. The next phase is likely to last another year, though. Nevertheless, Raiford was confident the plan would be a boon for the city-parish.
"I guarantee we can reduce the flood risk for the citizens of this parish," he said.
