Services Set for CFD Retired Firefighter John Hutchinson

Earlier this week, we informed you of the passing of CFD Retired Firefighter John Hutchinson.  His funeral services have now been set with the wake being held on Friday, September 17, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the New Israel Reformed Episcopal Church located at 60 Simmons Street in downtown Charleston. His funeral will be at the church on Saturday, September 18, at 1:00 p.m.,  with burial at Monrovia Cemetery on King Street Extension.

Hurricane Preparedness Workshop Held Tonight!

Thanks to everyone who came out tonight for our Hurricane Preparedness Workshop. We were happy to welcome new folks in our community who have moved here from New Mexico, New York and Pennsylvania.  While our attendance was less than we hoped for, we will continue to work to provide support and programs to assist our CFD families and members of the community. Special thanks to Mark Ruppel, our CFD Public Information Officer, who did a splendid job!

In Sympathy . . . . . . . . .

It is with sadness that we report the passing of CFD Retiree John Hutchinson. John last served in the CFD in the Coming Street station.  He was a member of the CFD Retirees' Group and always attended our annual picnics. Funeral arrangements will be announced later this week. 

Chick-Fil-A KId's Night A Success!

Thanks to the Captains and crews of CFD Engine 116 and SAFD Engine 301 for making the Chick-Fil-A Kid's Night a great success tonight. It was a pleasure for this old man to watch you guys work the crowd! Al Thompson, the owner of Chick-Fil-A and his staff have been so supportive of all of us after the SSS fire. It was nice to be able to help them out. Thank you, Mr. Thompson, it was our pleasure to be there tonight. Looking forward to the next time!

Hurricane Preparedness Workshop Reminder!

The Charleston Firefighter Support Team is sponsoring a Hurricane Preparedness Workshop for the CFD family to be held on Wednesday, September 15, beginning at 7:00 p.m., in the conference room of the Charleston Dorchester Mental Health Center located at 2100 Charlie Hall Blvd., West of the Ashley. Many topics will be discussed including preparing your homes, supplies that you may need, evacuation routes, shelter availability, and living in a community damaged by a storm.

We will have several members of the CFD there to discuss their personal and on-duty experiences with storms in the past. Being at work while your families are at home during a storm can be an unsettling experience for you and your loved ones. Being stuck in traffic on an evacuation route for hours can be scary, especially with young children in the car. Loss of electricity, telephone service and gasoline for days is something many of you have not experienced.

It is important for all of you to take advantage of this important meeting. Sharing of experiences by those of you who have been here during a storm will be invaluable to our new families. Secondly, it has been twenty-one years since Hurricane Hugo changed the face of Charleston and our lives and many of you who experienced it were children at the time. We have had many close calls over the years that put our preparedness to the test. Hurricanes Floyd and Gaston are just two that readily come to mind.

Please come out and join us for this informative evening.

"Never Forget" Camaro Makes 4 Second Pass!!

It is hard to believe that a race car can teach you so many lessons of life. Patience, commitment, and determination are all virtues that we have learned in building, tuning and running the Charleston 9 “Never Forget” Camaro and tonight it all finally paid off. Our hot rod ripped off a 4.92 second pass tonight while competing in the Top 8 Doorslammers race at Dorchester Dragway. It was good enough to put us second in the qualifying order. Unfortunately, the track conditions prevented the completion of the race but we’ll go on to Fayetteville, NC for the next race on September 18. This run was our first in the 4 second range and a goal we have been working on for several years. R.I.P. Charleston 9. This one was for you!

Our "Tools of the Trade"

The modern Fire Service is fortunate to have an array of the best of equipment and tools to "get the job done". Whether it's the latest in rescue equipment or a brand new ladder truck, we are blessed to have much to make our firefighters' jobs easier and safer. Our Team is no different in that we utilize what will enhance our ability to reach out to our firefighters, their families, and to the general public in promoting our firefighters and the services they provide to their communities. These are just a few of our Team's "tools".