Fire Museum announces free admission for active duty military personnel and their families

Today, the North Charleston and American LaFrance Fire Museum and Educational Center proudly announced its partnership with Blue Star Museums. Blue Star Museums offers free admission to all active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day, May 27, 2013, through Labor Day, September 2, 2013.

Blue Star Museums is a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 2,000 museums across America.

Museum Coordinator Renee Frye stated, “We at the North Charleston and American LaFrance Fire Museum and Educational Center understand the sacrifices members of the military and their families make on a daily basis, and as a small token of our appreciation, we are proud to participate in this wonderful program.”

A complete list of participating museums is available at www.arts.gov/bluestarmuseums.

For more information, contact Max Sterling at (843)740-5550 or msterling@northcharleston.org

North Charleston receives Above and Beyond Award from ESGR

The City of North Charleston was recently awarded the Above and Beyond Award by the South Carolina Committee of the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR).

The Above and Beyond Award is given  to a select few out of thousands of employers throughout the state and presented annually by each ESGR Committee.  This award recognizes those employers at the state and local level who have gone above and beyond the legal requirements for granting leave and providing support for military duty by their Guard and Reserve employees.

North Charleston was nominated by Petty Officer First Class Scott Perry, US Navy Reserve of the Navy Security Force who is stationed at Joint Base Charleston.  Petty Officer Perry is also an employee of the City of North Charleston Police Department.

The award was accepted at the ESGR's Annual Banquet in Columbia, SC on February 10, 2012.

ESGR is a Department of Defense organization. It is a staff group within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, which is in itself a part of the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

ESGR was established in 1972 to promote cooperation and understanding between Reserve component members and their civilian employers and to assist in the resolution of conflicts arising from an employee's military commitment. It is the lead DoD organization for this mission under DoD Directive 1250.1.

Today, ESGR operates through a network of thousands of volunteers throughout the nation and Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Veterans Day in North Charleston

The City of North Charleston hosted its annual Veterans Day tribute on Friday, November 11, 2011 from at Park Circle with keynote speaker Colonel Frank S. Taylor. Over 500 veterans in attendance were honored.

The Department of Defense and the National Committee for Veterans Day selected North Charleston as a Regional Site for Veterans Day 2011. North Charleston is the only regional site in the State of South Carolina.



Major Joe Lysaght of the 3rd BDE South Carolina State Guard, gives the History of the Pledge of Allegiance.



Ten year old Tre' Williams reads his essay on what it means to be a veteran.

In Photos

9/11 memorial service to remember lives lost, honor nation’s first responders and military personnel

A memorial service commemorating the 10th anniversary of the tragic events of 9/11 is set for Friday, September 9, 2011, 10:00 am at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center. The public is invited to attend the event.  There will be no charge for admission or parking.

The event, wholly planned by Charleston area first responders and military personnel, will include participation from nearly every public safety agency in the region.

A portion of the service will include remarks from first responders who were at the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, DC on September 11, 2001 and will feature music by the Charleston Police Pipes and Drums and the Academic Magnet High School Vocal Ensemble.  In addition, fire apparatus from agencies throughout the Charleston area will be on display surrounding the Performing Arts Center.

“We hope to come together as a local community of first responders to commemorate this anniversary,” said North Charleston Fire Chief Greg Bulanow.  He continued, “It provides an opportunity to appropriately honor and reflect on the enormous sacrifices that were made that day in the service of duty.  We hope that many will join us, including young people, who perhaps were too young to understand or remember September 11, 2001, but who are growing up in a world that was shaped by that day.”

Charleston County EMS Director Don Lundy stated, “That date changed the way of life for all of us, but particularly for the men and women who protect our loved ones every day. For that, we should honor those who gave their lives and remember those who continue to do this work every day, without fear or trepidation. They all are the real heroes walking among us."

Participating agencies:

Joint Base Charleston
South Carolina Highway Patrol
Charleston County Sheriff’s Office
Charleston County EMS
Charleston County Emergency Management
Charleston Police Department
Charleston Fire Department
Charleston Police Department Pipes & Drums
North Charleston Police Department
North Charleston Fire Department
North Charleston Fire Museum
Mount Pleasant Police Department
Mount Pleasant Fire Department
College of Charleston First Responders
Isle of Palms Police Department
Isle of Palms Fire DepartmentSt. Andrews Fire Department
St. Johns Fire Department
Summerville Fire Department
Ashley River Fire Department
Caromi Fire Department
James Island Fire Department
Awendaw Fire Department
Dorchester County EMS
Moncks Corner Rural Fire Department
Goose Creek Fire Department
Coastal Crisis Chaplaincy

Non-public safety participants:
The Boeing Company’s Safety Officials
Royal Missionary Baptist Church
CCSD’s Academic Magnet High School