No one likes to consider something “bad” happening to them on vacation, but real life can, and does, follow us even while we relax on the beach or by the pool. Several entities on Kiawah Island do protect all of us from the insect bite, bike fall, or in the worst cases, an auto accident or fire. Dialing 911 in an emergency will bring the St. Johns Fire Department to your rescue as the nearest first responders on Kiawah. The department covers Kiawah Island with two stations, Seabrook Island with one, Johns Island with three, and Wadmalaw Island with one: four islands and almost 200 square miles! The department consists of fully paid professionals who are trained to respond to fires and medical emergencies. All of St. John’s firefighters are qualified as EMTs or better.
Your 911 call will go through Charleston County’s 911 call center. Be clear about your location and the nature of your emergency. The dispatchers will, while you are speaking to them, send the appropriate response to your emergency, including the Charleston County Sheriff and Charleston County EMS as required. The fire department, being the closest entity, will usually respond first.
Now for my disclosure, I have been a proud Commissioner of the St. Johns Fire District since January of 2001. In the past, I have been Chair of the Commission for three years and currently serve as Vice Chair. The Commission is appointed by the Governor of South Carolina by the recommendations of the Charleston County Council. It is composed of three representatives from Kiawah Island (John Connolly, Chair, John Olson, Jr., and myself), four from Johns Island (Eric Britton, Albert Thompson, Sam Brownlee, and Leroy Blake), one from Seabrook Island (Debra Lehman), and one from Wadmalaw Island (Mary Jones). The Department is led by Fire Chief Colleen Walz, a former Deputy Chief of the Pittsburgh Fire Bureau.
The St. Johns Fire District was created by the state of South Carolina in 1959 as a special purpose district to provide fire protection for Johns and Wadmalaw Islands, long before Kiawah or Seabrook were developed. Both of those islands were added to the District in the 1970s. For those of you who own property on the islands, you will notice that the Fire District is a governmental entity that collects property taxes, can condemn property, and can issue municipal bonds for additional funding. Since my first term in 2001, the District has grown out of coverage of farms on Johns Island and beach cottages on Kiawah into a sophisticated entity covering a five star, five diamond hotel, multiple shopping centers, and commercial activities as well as homes and club houses that are valued in the tens of millions of dollars. The first budget that I worked on was a bit over $5 million. Our current budget is well over $12 million. More personnel and equipment are required to cover more properties and owners as well as tens of thousands of annual visitors.
Over the years, I have been involved with the replacement of the Seabrook (Station 2) and Wadmalaw Island (Station 3) stations, construction of a new station (Station 7) on Main Road, as well as the recent construction of a new headquarters building located on Main Road, Johns Island. Be advised that construction will begin late Fall 2016 on Kiawah to replace Station 6 (behind the Vanderhorst Gate) and immediately after that completion, Station 4 on Kiawah Island Parkway. The Commission is dedicated to providing the best protection that we can for our tax payers and visitors while being good stewards of the taxpayer’s money. At some time in the future, the District will be looking to decommission Station 1 on Maybank Highway as well as the maintenance facility located there. The Department staff and the Commission will be looking into where best to relocate these resources in order to maximize protection of lives and property within the District.
If you or your children are passing a fire station and the firefighters are out and about, feel free to stop by. They are always happy to talk about their profession, and they love to show children of all ages the firefighting equipment.
Remember, in any emergency, dial 911! Our firefighters, police, and other emergency workers are here to serve and protect you.
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Post courtesy of Tom Kulick, Akers Ellis real estate agent 843.209.6062 | tom.kulick@akersellis.com |