North Myrtle Beach Times Serving our Community and the Grand Strand for over 50 years
By RUBEN LOWMAN
The firefighters and employees of North Myrtle Beach Fire Rescue have once again been designated as one of the top departments in the Palmetto State.
NMB Fire Rescue (NMBFR) was awarded with the coveted Fire Safe South Carolina designation recently, which goes to departments across the state that develop community risk-reduction plans. NMBFR will be honored next month at the annual conference that will be held in Myrtle Beach this year.
“We are proud to be one of only 104 fire departments across the state to receive South Carolina’s Fire Safe designation,” said NMBFR Chief Garry Spain.
Fire Safe SC has worked with departments across the state for the past five years, helping to devise community risk reduction plans.This is the second consecutive year NMBFR has earned the honor.
“The enthusiasm for obtaining this designation continues to grow and we remain encouraged by active participation,” Fire Safe SC Community Risk Reduction Chief Josh Fulbright said.
The group works with firefighters across the state to identify the root causes of fatal fires, Fulbright said, with the goal being to prevent them from happening. He said cooking is the number one cause of fires overall, followed by heating and electrical fires. Fulbright said smoking, however, is the number one cause of fatal fires in South Carolina.
To earn the “Fire Safe South Carolina” designation, fire departments must complete courses to improve data quality, train community partners to deliver in-home safety visits and further develop their skills through online National Fire Academy courses in risk reduction and assessment.
“As we move forward, community relationships must continually be built and nurtured to form mutually- beneficial partnerships,” Fulbright said. “These relationships create sustainability in risk reduction efforts, ultimately saving lives.”
The communities designated Fire Safe continually work to reduce fire-related injuries in the state, thereby decreasing the risks for residents and firefighters. They also promote consistent fire safety messaging and stress the importance of providing all relative data collected at fire scenes.
Launched in 2017, Fire Safe SC’s partners include the S.C. State Firefighters’ Association, the S.C. State Association of Fire Chiefs and the S.C. Fire Marshal Association.
North Myrtle Beach Fire Rescue will be presented their Fire Safe SC award during the Firefighter Associations’ Fire-Rescue Conference on Saturday, June 11, at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.
