Chief Karen Brack Named New CFD Fire Chief!

Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. announced today that he has selected Deputy Chief Karen Brack, of the Eugene, Oregon Fire Department, to be the new Chief of the Charleston Fire Department. Chief Brack began her career in the Fulton County, Georgia Fire Department where she rose through the ranks to become Battalion Chief. She joined the Eugene, Oregon Fire Department  in 2007 and is currently serving as a Deputy Chief there. Chief Brack brings 30 years of experience, along with a wealth of knowledge and training, with her to Charleston. We are excited about beginning our work with Chief Brack and welcome her to the CFD family. 

Riding in the Clouds.........................

Last Saturday, we had the pleasure of escorting the Iron Warriors Motorcycle Club as they rode to the Charleston 9 Memorial site to honor our fallen firefighters.  Later that night, there was a "super full moon" which apparently only happens once a year.  Our photographer for the ride, Kimberly Bryant, took a photo of Engine 8, another of Colt Roy, the local organizer of the IWMC event, and then a photo of the full moon that night. She combined all of them to come up with this great photo.  Thanks, Kim, for your talent and your contribution! 

Charleston Dragon Boat Races a Huge Success!

The Local 61/CFD 'Dragon Slayers' Dragon Boat Team competed in the 2012 Charleston Dragon Boat Festival, on Saturday, May 5,  at Brittlebank Park, in Downtown Charleston. The Dragon Boat Festival is an event that raises awareness and money for cancer survivors to continue to get the help and treatment that they need. The Local 61/CFD 'Dragon Slayers' came in 3rd Place in a close championship race and ended up being one of the top fundraising teams, raising the fourth most amount of money! 

"Big John" Project Rolls On!

Our Chief, Our Friend, Our Mentor, Our Inspiration, "Big John" Winn

Capt. Hans Button and His Crew Get Us Started

OFFD Engineer Chastity Bigney Scraping Paint

Gerald Mishoe Stripping the Tailboard

CFD Battalion Chief Joey Roberts Reworking the Cab

St. Andrews FF Phil Clement Taking Care of the Jumpseats

Hunter Clement Removing the Tape in the Cab After Painting

C & B Fire Chief  Troy Williams Sanding the Body

We have been thrashing on the "Big John" fire truck for a month now to get it ready to make the trip to the SC State Fire-Rescue Conference coming up on June 6 in Myrtle Beach. Many thanks to all who have helped us work on making this dream a reality and will not give up on reaching our goal of completing this truck in honor of our good friend, John Winn. It has truly provided us with a place to create build new friendships, renew old ones, and to be a part of a project work that we can all be proud of. 


Regardless of department affiliation, people have come together to help Chief Winn is his campaign to increase awareness of the need for proper medical testing to protect our firefighters from life threatening illnesses. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue our work.  

Iron Warriors Ride for the Charleston 9

Today, we joined the Iron Warriors Motorcycle Club for their Southeast Regional Conference being held in Charleston this weekend. The Iron Warriors are firefighters and law enforcement officers who share a passion for motorcycles and community service.  We were honored to participate in their ride to honor the Charleston 9.  With Engine 8 in the lead, we left the Sheraton Hotel in North Charleston and traveled to the Charleston 9 Memorial site where they stopped to pay their respects to our fallen heroes. From there, we traveled to the Home Team BBQ on Ashley River Road for lunch and some serious socializing. Thanks to all who attended for your support of our firefighters and our Team and special thanks to the Charleston County Sheriff's Department for a safe escort along the way! 

CFD Recruit Class Graduates!

SC State Fire Marshal Adolf Zubia chats with the newest members of the CFD! 

Today, CFD personnel joined the families and friends of Recruit Class 11-02 to celebrate their completion of 26 weeks of training to become members of the Charleston Fire Department. The keynote speakers were Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. and South Carolina State Fire Marshal Adolf Zubia.  Recruits graduating today were Kyle Bishop, Nicholas Boyer, Jason Dunigan, Thomas Haffey, Joseph Hardin, Shawn Hayes, Patrick Jones, Justin Kahle, Gary Kenneweg, Brian Mann, Ronald McGee, David Morris, Micah Murray, Xavier Passement, Keith Peterson, Michael Petro, Alex Rogers, Sean Swigart, Kyle Watkins, and Stephen Webb.

Congratulations to all of these men as they take their places in the ranks of the CFD! 

Old Timer Joins Our Team!

We have recently acquired a 1946 Chevrolet fire truck to be used in our outreach programs. It is nearly all original and is in great shape for its' age. Look for it to show up to events with our other trucks in the near future! We hope it will be a real crowd pleaser!