Surfside Beach Fire Department Faces Critical Crossroads as Town Council Considers Future Options

Surfside Beach Fire Department Faces Tough Decisions Ahead

Hey, Surfside Beach! There’s a bit of a buzz going around town as the Surfside Beach Town Council weighs a big decision that affects all of us—whether to keep our local fire department or hand those duties over to our friends at Horry County. Let’s break it down and see what this could mean for our community.

What’s the Big Deal with ISO Ratings?

First off, let’s talk about something called the Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating. This rating is crucial because it influences how much we pay for fire insurance. An ISO rating ranges from 1 to 10, with 1 being top-notch and 10 meaning the department didn’t quite meet the minimum standards. Currently, our Surfside Beach Fire Department boasts a Class 2 rating, while Horry County sits at Class 3. That means our fire department has been consistently providing solid protection for our homes and businesses.

The Meeting that Stirred Things Up

On February 15, major players in the town gathered for a meeting that delved into the town’s ISO status. Surfside Beach’s Mayor Rob Krouse, Town Administrator Gerald Vincent, and Interim Fire Chief Larry Carter joined a representative from Verisk Analytics—who specializes in insurance analysis for fire departments. One hot topic was that the ISO rating for Surfside Beach dropped from a 1 to a 2, which has raised eyebrows and concerns among residents.

According to notes from the meeting, the decline in rating was attributed to challenges ranging from apparatus response and staffing to reporting/documentation. To hit that coveted Class 1 rating again, the department needs to have a robust firefighting team, specifically 18 actual firefighters per shift, and that’s no small feat!

What Went Wrong?

Here’s the kicker: there are whispers that the previous Class 1 rating might have had some questionable practices behind it. Former Fire Department employees allege that records were altered to achieve that top score. The former police chief mentioned that an investigation was started but nothing ever came of it. Yikes! That’s a lot of pressure on the current Fire Chief David Nelson, who took over this March.

Assessing Our Options

In light of our current situation, the town council is seriously considering the option of allowing Horry County to take over the fire department. They would bring in additional personnel and resources but at a cost—it could mean higher taxes for the community. Chief Nelson, however, is leaning towards keeping our fire department, believing that if we increase staffing levels from two to four per shift, it can significantly enhance our service quality.

What’s Next for the Fire Department?

The plan is to ramp up staffing to ensure that we can effectively respond to emergencies while keeping our firefighters safe. For instance, the department aims to have four firefighters on every apparatus responding to a fire, which aligns with the standards of the National Fire Protection Association. Sounds like a smart move to safeguard our brave firefighters and boost our ISO rating!

Rallying Community Support

As discussion swirls about the potential county takeover, it’s essential to weigh the positives and negatives carefully. Keeping our fire department means having local folks who know our community inside and out. Meanwhile, going with Horry County could mean more extensive resources, but we’d lose that local touch.

Surfside Beach residents, it’s your turn to voice your opinions and concerns to the Town Council. Whether you prefer to keep local heroes fighting fires or you’re leaning towards the county and all it could bring, your input matters now more than ever.

Stay tuned for updates as the town navigates through this crucial decision for our safety and peace of mind!