Jeff Pardue began his firefighting career in 1984 when he joined the District Six Fire Department in Baton Rouge. Jeff quickly ascended to the rank of Captain and Hazardous Material Officer. Shortly thereafter, Jeff was one of four volunteers who were hired as fulltime, civil service firefighters.  During his time at District Six, Jeff earned his EMT-A certification as well as many other firefighting, hazardous materials, administrative, and officer qualifications. On his off days, Jeff worked part time for Regional Ambulance Service. In 1990, he left the fire service for employment in the private sector where he worked primarily as an educator and counselor for fifteen years. His academic education includes a Bachelor’s Degree with additional graduate studies in foreign languages.

Following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Jeff was employed by Louisiana Spirit, the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospital’s hurricane recovery efforts. There, he helped in identifying the deceased by assisting in detailed investigatory tasks and finding the missing by serving as the primary investigator for the toughest cases other call center staff could not resolve. Jeff personally resolved over 1300 cases of missing persons and unidentified remains and was instrumental in resolving over 9300 other cases by providing training and mentorship to other team members. Jeff also served as the liaison with New Orleans Fire Department Strike Team during the search of 2000 plus homes for human remains.

Immediately before coming to FETI, Jeff continued his hurricane recovery efforts as the Team Leader for Louisiana Spirit’s First Responder team where he coordinated a crisis counseling and peer support unit for fire, police, and EMS personnel.

Jeff was hired by LSU FETI in April ’07. His skills set, work experience, and education will be utilized in streamlining current curriculum, developing new and innovative courses, and coordinating professional development for the staff. Jeff has been married for twenty-four years and has three children.