JIFD

Picture
James Island Fire Department Members
To begin telling you about us, we have to define who "us" is.  There are two "us." There is the official us and there is the unofficial us.  The official us is the James Island Fire Department, which is a department governed by the James Island Public Service District (JIPSD).  The JIPSD was formed under Act Number 498 of the 1961 General Assembly of the State of South Carolina to provide many community services, one of which was fire protection.  The JIFD was created to carry out that task.

    The current JIFD consists of Fire Chief Chris Seabolt; Deputy Fire Chief Matt Rhoton; three Battalion Chiefs, Richard Rodgers, Jeff Armstrong, Thomas Glick; and three shifts ( A, B, C ) consisting of 48 captains, engineers, firefighters and dispatchers - 19 of which are certified EMT's.  The department responds to emergency fire and first aid calls on James Island as well as offer mutual aid to other area departments as needed.

    There are four stations strategically located on James Island so as to provide the quickest response time as possible.  They are located on Camp Rd, which is also the headquarters, Harborview Road, Plymouth Avenue and Folly Road.  Each station is manned 24/7, generally with a captain, an engineer and two firefighters.  The department utilizes a 24-hours on/48-hours off duty schedule.


     The unofficial us is a group of dedicated men and women that design and maintain this website, which is not an official site of the JIPSD or the JIFD.  Its content is neither provided by nor officially approved or endorsed by the James Island Public Service District.   

      During 2008, this department, like many other fire departments across the nation, found itself enthralled in conflict with its governing body over severe budget cuts. The issue was very publicly and hotly debated - it was near and dear to the hearts of members of this department.  Several extremely passionate folks created this website to help in the department's cause as a means of reaching the masses with real on-time detailed information.  Eventually, an acceptable budget compromise was reached and the battle was over.

       The website had gathered quite a following during this period and it was a shame to just let it go.  It was decided that the site shall live on - but with a significantly different purpose in mind.     

       Today, the site has become a medium for us to provide you with educational information as well as what we do, why we do it and who we are (both on and off duty).  We sincerely hope you enjoy what we have to share.