North Charleston Fire Department receives international accreditation

The North Charleston Fire Department (NCFD) will formally announce its international accreditation at the North Charleston City Council meeting on Thursday at 7:00pm in City Hall.

The NCFD was unanimously awarded Accredited Agency Status by the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) at the Center for Public Safety Excellence Commission hearings in Chicago, Illinois on August 15, 2013. The NCFD is one of only 187 agencies worldwide and one of six in South Carolina (Mt. Pleasant, Hilton Head, Charleston AFB, Parris Island, and Spartanburg)to obtain CFAI Accredited Agency Status.

The Accreditation model provides a comprehensive self-assessment and evaluation process that enables fire and emergency service agencies to examine performance levels and compare them to industry best practices. Departments are required to develop a community-driven strategic plan, standards of cover assessment and an extensive risk analysis of the community they serve. The model examines 244 performance indicators that must be verified through an on-site peer review by subject matter experts from around the country.

It typically takes a fire department 3-5 years to become accredited. The accreditation is recognized worldwide as a measure of excellence in the fire service.

“Accreditation is confirmation to our citizens that the highest quality fire service is being received,” said Mayor Keith Summey. “Subjecting our fire department to outside peer reviews and investigations and upholding a high level of standards is important to ensure we continue to innovate to better protect our city.”

“Our purpose in seeking accreditation was to invite the most intense scrutiny available to ensure that we can meet all of the fire protection needs of our thriving city," said Fire Chief Greg Bulanow. "We see this as a validation of more than three years of hard work to systematically improve the service we provide and we will continue to use this process to become an even better department."

North Charleston Fire Department’s Bianca Sancic receives statewide Educator’s Award

Bianca Sancic, Public Information Officer and Fire and Life Safety Educator of the North Charleston Fire Department, received the Educator’s Award from the South Carolina Fire and Life Safety Education Association. The Educator’s Award is a peer award presented to an outstanding individual, organization, or program that is making a difference in Fire and Life Safety Education.

Bianca has been employed with the City of North Charleston Fire Department since September 2007. She works daily in our local schools, daycares, and businesses to teach fire and life safety to all citizens of North Charleston.

Bianca is dedicated to preventing fires and saving lives through education and safety, teaching citizens to prevent home fires, to use fire extinguishers, and what to do in emergency situations. Bianca also assists with the After the Fire Program that aids individuals after a fire has occurred in their home and during recovery. She also serves as a liaison for residents and the American Red Cross and other support systems. 

Bianca is an active member of the Fire and Life Safety Education Association, South Carolina Fire Marshals Association, South Carolina Firemen’s Association, and Palmetto Alliance of Public Affairs and Information Officers.

North Charleston Fire Chief Greg Bulanow said, “Bianca’s passion and creativity make her very effective in delivering fire and life safety education. She is very deserving of this recognition from her fellow fire safety professionals.”

Photo: Bianca Sancic in the classroom

Fire Department to conduct Hydrant testing. Find out how this could affect you.

The North Charleston Fire Department will be conducting hydrant testing throughout the City of North Charleston in the month of March. Firefighters will flow each hydrant to ensure that the hydrant functions properly and that adequate water will be available in the event of a fire.

Firefighters will be posting signs in the neighborhoods to inform residents that hydrant testing is in progress. Firefighters will be as careful as possible to minimize damage to lawns or landscaping from the flow of water.

Despite all precautions, there is the possibility that sediment from the water system may become visible in residential tap water. If a resident encounters discolored water they should run the faucet in their home until the water runs clear.

The North Charleston Fire Department thanks residents in advance for their understanding as we perform this required task to ensure the safety of our City.

If you encounter any other problems with your water, please contact your water department. Charleston Water System can be reached at (843) 727-6800 or Dorchester County Water and Sewer Department may be reached at (843) 832-0075.

NCFD Fireboat dedication and demonstration

The North Charleston Fire Department (NCFD) dedicated and demonstrated the Lowcountry's first fireboat at North Charleston's 4th of July Festival.

The 32ft purpose-built fireboat was named in memory of Retired North Charleston Fire Chief W. Frank New who lead the department from 1973 to 1985.  The fireboat joined the NCFD fleet as "NCFD Marine 1."

The fireboat, model FireStorm 32, was built by Metal Craft Marine in Kingston, Ontario.  It is powered by dual Cummins diesel engines, each rated at 480 horsepower, which were manufactured at the Cummins Turbo Technologies facility on Leeds Avenue in North Charleston, SC. Its top speed is 43 knots or nearly 50 MPH and can pump more than 2,000 gallons of water per minute through 4 water monitors mounted on the roof, bow and two on the aft deck.



The fireboat can traverse and operate in very shallow water due to its shallow draft and jet drive configuration.  The aft deck provides an oversized dive platform/recovery deck, which provides water level working space for deployment and recovery. The cabin is equipped with VHF, radar integrated with GPS, infrared capabilities and high output scene and spot lights for night operations.

The fireboat dedication was part of North Charleston's 4th of July Festival, which boasts a full day of top level musical entertainment and family and children activities.  The Festival concluded with the largest show of fireworks in the State of South Carolina.

North Charleston Fire Department to dedicate and demonstrate area’s first fireboat at 4th of July Festival

The North Charleston Fire Department (NCFD) will dedicate the Lowcountry’s first fireboat at North Charleston’s 4th of July Festival with a short ceremony on Wednesday, July 4, 2012 at 3:00pm along the Cooper River at Riverfront Park. NCFD will showcase the fireboat’s capabilities immediately after the ceremony.

The 32ft purpose-built fireboat will be named in honor of Retired North Charleston Fire Chief W. Frank New who lead the department from 1973 to 1985. The fireboat will join the NCFD fleet as “NCFD Marine 1.”

The fireboat, model FireStorm 32, was built by Metal Craft Marine in Kingston, Ontario. It is powered by dual Cummins diesel engines, each rated at 480 horsepower, which were manufactured at the Cummins Turbo Technologies facility on Leeds Avenue in North Charleston, SC. Its top speed is 43 knots or nearly 50 MPH and can pump more than 2,000 gallons of water per minute through 4 water monitors mounted on the roof, bow and two on the aft deck.

The fireboat can traverse and operate in very shallow water due to its shallow draft and jet drive configuration. The aft deck provides an oversized dive platform/recovery deck, which provides water level working space for deployment and recovery. The cabin is equipped with VHF, radar integrated with GPS, infrared capabilities and high output scene and spot lights for night operations.

The fireboat dedication is part of North Charleston’s 4th of July Festival, which boasts a full day of top level musical entertainment and family and children activities. The Festival concludes with the largest show of fireworks in the State of South Carolina.

Fire Department dedicates new engine and heavy rescue with ceremonial wet-down

The North Charleston Fire Department will hold a traditional wet-down ceremony for an Engine and a Heavy Rescue that has joined the fleet on Monday, June 11, 2012 at 1:00pm at the North Charleston and American LaFrance Fire Museum. Both trucks will operate from Fire Station #7 on Leeds Avenue and will replace a 1995 Engine and a 2002 Heavy Rescue.

Both trucks were built by Pierce Manufacturing in Appleton, WI are based on the Arrow XT chassis.

A wet-down ceremony is a traditional welcome for a fire apparatus or station. The tradition originated in historic east coast fire departments when changing out old fire pumpers for the new. The horses would be unhitched and water was transferred to the new apparatus. It would then be dried off and pushed into the stall for service.

Engine photo from Pierce Manufacturing
Heavy Rescue photo from Pierce Manufacturing
Photos of the Heavy Rescue while parked behind City Hall

North Charleston Fire Department presents 3 citizens with awards for life-saving actions

The Chief’s Citizen Award is reserved for the Fire Chief to recognize citizens for outstanding actions or achievements that positively affect the fire department or community. North Charleston Fire Chief Gregory A. Bulanow presented three Citizen Awards at City Council on Thursday, May 10, 2012.

The First of the three awards was presented to Thomas Gotbeter, who responded to a complete stranger at a Little Cricket convenience store who was in full cardiac arrest. He performed CPR on the man until emergency personnel arrived on scene. The man was treated at the hospital and released several days later.
Mr. Gotbeter’s full story 

The next award was given to Andrew Glover of the North Charleston Police Department. Officer Glover observed black smoke coming from a home, after notifying dispatch, he entered the home to find two individuals sleeping. Everyone safely exited the home without injury. 

Officer Glover’s full story 

The final award was presented to Reginald Curry for his acts of bravery at the Noisette Creek Apartment fire. He not only caught a baby dropped from a second story window, but entered the structure to save another child that was otherwise trapped inside. 

Mr. Curry’s full story

1000 FREE smoke alarms from the North Charleston Fire Department

Flickr user _Pixelmaniac_

The North Charleston Fire Department and the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, Division of Fire and Life Safety, are partnering to help reduce fire-related deaths and injuries through the “Get Alarmed, S.C.” smoke alarm installation program.

1000 smoke alarms will be provided to the North Charleston Fire Department for installation in homes throughout the community. In addition to installing smoke alarms, fire service personnel will provide information on general fire safety awareness and, if necessary, assist in preparing a home escape plan.

The Get Alarmed program has been credited with saving 27 lives in 13 different fires in North Charleston since its implementation in 2006. These additional alarms will help firefighters save even more lives in the city.

“Smoke alarms and fire safety awareness are essential to aid in preventing fires, injuries and fire fatalities,” S.C. State Fire Marshal Adolf Zubia said.

North Charleston Fire Chief Gregory Bulanow agrees. “This on-going partnership has been very effective in getting these life-saving devices in the homes of thousands of our residents,” he said.

Each household receiving a smoke alarm will be provided with a Smoke and Fire Safety Action Planner to assist with the development of an emergency plan of action based on each individual living situation. The Action Planner helps identify any special assistance that may be needed to help the very young, elderly or disabled escape in the event of a fire.

“Although having a working smoke alarm doubles your chances of surviving a fire, it is not the total answer in making your home fire safe, it is just the beginning,” Zubia said. “Practicing good fire safety behaviors and being prepared to take action should an emergency occur will serve to make people in our state safer from the tragedies of fire.

To receive an alarm or have your current alarms checked, call North Charleston Fire Department Headquarters at (843) 740-2616. Firefighters will contact you and schedule a time to inspect your current alarms and/or install new ones in your city residence.

“I credit the dedication of our fire crews who install these alarms at every opportunity to make our city safer,” said Bulanow.