The Awendaw Fire Department was established in 1980 and provides fire and life safety services including: Medical First Responder, Rural Search & Rescue, Auto Extrication, Water Rescue, Wildland Fire Suppression, Fire Inspection and Public Fire Education services to the citizens of the unincorporated areas of Charleston County north of Mount Pleasant. Serving 365 square miles with a suburban/rural interface, federal forest land, and coastal areas, the Fire Department’s direct service area includes the Awendaw area, Boone Hall, McClellanville, South Santee, and Germantown area and the towns of Awendaw and McClellanville.
Services are provided by both career and volunteer members who operate out of seven station locations. All stations are under the command of a Battalion Chief and are divided into three working shifts (A, B and C). The department works a 48/96-work schedule. All career fire personnel are Charleston County employees.
The Fire Chief reports directly to the County Emergency Management Director. The Battalion Chief reports directly to the Fire Chief, and duties include emergency response and incident command, the direction of training, and the daily supervision and direction of the station Captains and Firefighters.
Why Awendaw-McCellanville Fire Department?
The Awendaw Fire Department maintains a high level of professional standards, focusing on education, certifications, performance measures and fitness. Among other certifications, many full-time personnel are certified Emergency Medical Technicians. A constant state of readiness is maintained to be fully prepared to respond to various emergencies (firefighting, medical, vehicle extrication, hazardous materials, etc.). The department has earned a rating of 4 with the Insurance Services Office, acknowledging its professional achievements and therefore saving homeowners thousands of dollars in insurance premiums.
The department takes great pride in fostering a diverse volunteer program. Often our volunteer program acts as a hiring pool when full-time positions become available. Due to the size of our department, volunteers are relied upon to accomplish many duties around the stations as well as on the fire scene, thus giving them the valuable experience and training they will need when seeking a full-time position, either with us or another department.
Other Benefits:
- Volunteers can accrue “points” as they respond to calls, spend time at the station, etc. and get a check at the end of the year based on points.
