Many people moving to the area assume that because our name has “Township” in it, that we are a department of the Town of Bluffton. The reality is that we are a county-level, special-purpose tax district. While Bluffton is part of our service area, it is just one section.
In 1978, Beaufort County Council created the Fire District to serve the needs of three initial volunteer fire stations. Bluffton, Pritchardville, and Chelsea were the first areas covered by the new district. Since then, we have grown to 9, and soon to be 10 stations.
We currently have 9 stations that cover 246 square miles in southern Beaufort County. The coverage area is:
• North to approximately Lemon Island.
• South to just over the bridges heading to Hilton Head Island at Jenkins Island on Highway 278; including Windmill Harbor and the Hilton Head Harbor RV Resort and Hog Island.
• East to the Jasper County line at Highway 46 just before the New River Boat Landing and Highway 278 to roughly University Park.
Our stations are:
• Station 30 – Downtown Bluffton
• Station 31 – Pritchardville/New Riverside
• Station 32 – Chelsea/Callawassie
• Station 33 – Moss Creek
• Station 34 – Sun City
• Station 35 (HQ) – Fording Island Rd.
• Station 36 – Colleton River
• Station 37 – Palmetto Bluff
• Station 38 – Hampton Parkway
• Station 39 – Sun City (FUTURE)
We currently employ roughly 175 people. This includes about 25 administrative staff and 150 firefighters. We are currently in the process of hiring between 12-15 new firefighters to join our organization as we prepare for the opening of the new Sun City station in 2025.
Last year, we responded to more than 10,600 calls and are on track to answer more than 11,000 calls this year. We are an all-hazards emergency response organization. That means we respond to medical calls, rescue calls, hazardous conditions, and other service calls.
We also provide public education through our Community Risk Reduction and Fire Prevention Departments to residents and business owners. This includes:
• Fire extinguisher training
• Smoke and CO alarm installation and service
• First Aid, CPR/AED, Stop the Bleed
• Child Passenger Safety Inspections and Education
• Fire and Life Safety Training
• Disaster Preparedness Training
• Babysitter Training
• Home Safety Inspections
Every firefighter who rides one of our engines is also Nationally Registered as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Advanced EMT, or Paramedic. This means they are able to provide the same level of pre-hospital care as Beaufort County EMS. We often arrive together, but there are some days when EMS is covered up with calls, that there may be slight delays in getting an ambulance to a patient. Since we have the same skill level, our residents and visitors still experience a high level of emergency care.
We currently have:
• Eight engine companies (2-4 personnel
• One quint/ladder truck (2-4 personnel
• One truck company (2-3 personnel)
• One Rescue truck (2-4 personnel)
• Two Battalion Chief vehicles (2 personnel)
• One Quick Response Vehicle (2 personnel)
• Wildlands Brush Truck (2 Personnel)
• Hazardous Materials Truck (2 Personnel)
• Swift Water Rescue Boat
Paul Boulware, Fire Chief
Stephen Combs, Public Information Officer PIO
Bluffton Township Fire District
843-757-2800
http://www.BlufftonFD.com
PIO@BlufftonFD.com
357 Fording Island Rd, Bluffton, SC 29909
WHHI Daily News Anchor: Robyn Zimmerman
May 2024
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