"Engine 61" to Ride Again!

We have been fortunate to work out an arrangement with CFD Local 61 to acquire their old 1958 Mack B Model fire engine. It had been a part of the union for many years and up until the early 2000's was active in their program. It has been sitting up for several years and we will restore it and return it to duty in the CFD as part of our program and to recognize the contributions of all Local 61 members over the years.

As all of you know who follow our Team, we always give our vehicles a name or number to perpetuate their history and to give them a special identity in their work in our Team. "Engine 8", "Engine 11", "Big Red", and the "Never Forget" Camaro are all examples. We believe it is fitting to call this old Mack "Engine 61" in honor of Local 61, one of the oldest Locals of the International Association of Firefighters. We hope you all agree and will follow our progress as we begin this restoration.

Fire On Nunan Street!

Crews from Charleston, North Charleston, St. Andrews and James Island were called into town today for a fire on Nunan Street involving three houses. Fire began in an abandoned structure and quickly spread to the adjacent exposures before being stopped "dead in its' tracks" with an aggressive attack by "C" Shift, 3rd Battalion personnel backed up by our brothers and sisters from the other departments.

The Brotherhood

Some will say that “The Brotherhood” no longer exists in the Fire Service, but, my friends, it is alive and well in the Charleston Fire Department. Yes, we have our disagreements and sometimes we don’t even like one another very well, but when the times get tough, you all rise to the challenge, are there for one another, and truly show what “brotherhood” is all about. Brotherhood, you see, is not something you get with the badge, or is it issued with your uniforms. You must pay it forward and invest in each other in order to truly experience what is all about. Whether it is a trip out-of-town to pay your respects to another firefighter in a different state, attending the funeral of one of our own, packing a hospital waiting room in support of a brother and his family, or simply helping a brother clean up his yard when he is ill, it is, and will always be about the brotherhood. For any who don’t think it exists, look around you. You may be pleasantly surprised. Stand proud my friends, there is much to do in the future and the brotherhood cannot be taken away.

Services for Engineer Matthew Kinsey

The wake for CFD Engineer Matthew Kinsey, Retired, will be held at the Harleston Boags Funeral Home located at 121 Calhoun Street, Charleston, on Wednesday, December 14, from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, December 15, beginning at 11:00 a.m., at the Centenary United Methodist Church located at 60 Wentworth Street in downtown Charleston.

The Beginning of the Christmas Season!

The past two weeks have been filled with a lot of holidays events and we have had great fun being a part of it! On December 1st, we participated in the Harleyville night time Christmas Parade where we unexpectedly won the second place trophy in the Fire Department Division. On Sunday, December 4th, we enjoyed a great time in the annual Christmas Parade with our Fire Department Kids. Our CFD Retirees' "Hooked Up" Christmas Program was held on Thursday, December 8th and over seventy folks brought toys to support the Salvation Army Toy Drive. They were treated to a delicious meal and an interesting program entitled "The Traditions and History of Christmas in Charleston", presented by Leigh Mishoe, of Sandlapper Water Tours. We followed that on Friday, December 9th, with the MUSC Employees' "Debi Kids" Toy Drive and Parade where we were honored to have the Grand Marshal and his family riding on Engine 11 with us. Saturday, December 10th, brought us to the St. Andrews Firefighter Community Assistance Fund Event to raise money for SAFCAF and the Carolina Children's Charity with "Photos with Santa" and a great pancake breakfast at Outback Steakhouse, West of the Ashley. We concluded our run today with the Summerville Christmas Parade. Special thanks to Capt. Demeail Seabrook and my daughter, Leigh, for handling some of the driving duties so we could get all of our big toys in the show. Thanks to all who worked so hard to make this an amazing start to the holidays!

The Passing of a Brother........

It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Engineer Matthew Kinsey, CFD Retired. We will post information on his wake and funeral services as they become available. Please keep his wife Donna and their family in your thoughts and prayers.

The Brotherhood is Alive and Well!

Today, a group of CFD members, led by Battalion Chief John Winn, traveled out to Adams Run to spend the morning with Captain Richard Ridge, CFD Retired, and his wife Maggie. Captain Ridge has been quite ill and it was great to visit with them. We spent the morning helping them clean their yard to get them ready for the holidays. Around midday, we were treated to our own tailgate party as Assistant Chief Robbie O'Donald and his sons served up a great barbeque lunch to us all.

Captain Richard and Maggie wish to express their sincere gratitude for all who came out today and, our behalf of all of us there, we thank them for giving us the opportunity to get together with them to share in a special time.

Remembering the Worcester 6