Surfside Beach may turn to Horry County for fire-protection services
SURFSIDE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — Surfside Beach leaders talked about transferring control of the town’s fire protection services to Horry County during a workshop meeting Thursday morning.
The discussions come after the town’s administrator, Gerald Vincent, submitted a 2024-25 budget proposal last week that took into account a $1.8 million deficit and included a hiring freeze and the elimination of numerous positions.
In order to deliver a balanced budget, Vincent said he had to freeze three firefighter positions approved in the 2024 fiscal year budget. He also turned down requests to hire four firefighters and five part-time firefighters and “unfunded” the deputy chief position.
Randy Webster, assistant administrator and director of public safety for Horry County, said Thursday that town leaders must decide by July 1. He said there are legal actions and ordinances that need to be passed to put the partnership in place and that if everything is not in place by then, they would have to wait until next year.
Recently hired Surfside Beach Fire Chief David Nelson said he supports the change because his department is understaffed and unable to properly protect the community. The department currently has a deputy chief, three captains, three firefighter engineers, two part-time employees and 13 volunteers.
“It really is an issue of safety and we’re operating but were not operating in a safety,” Nelson told News13.
Nelson said Horry County would provide six people per shift. The town currently has two people per shift. He added that the department also does not meet National Fire Protection Association standards requiring four firefighters per apparatus.
“It just seems like with a lot of issues that are going on with the town as far as funding and stuff, we might not be able to make sure that we’re properly staffed that way and that’s some of the issues that we’re looking at,” Nelson said.
Nelson said being understaffed puts stress not only on the community but his department.
He adds sending only two firefighters to a fire is unsafe. He told town officials during the meeting a fire doubles in size each minute and having to wait on mutual aid puts everyone in danger.
“They’re trying to do two or three jobs at once time versus where we could actually do it with less people, or more people we could do less work and be able to put the fire out quicker,” Nelson said.
Nelson explained that it would take $500,000 to add seven additional staff members, plus additional money for personal protective gear and training.
He also said the town will need a new fire engine within the next five years, which could cost in the neighborhood of $1 million.
The town recently purchased a new aerial truck for $1.2 million and will need another one in the next year, in addition to thousands of dollars’ worth of new radio equipment and air packs, Nelson said.
Nelson also expressed other concerns with the current situation. He said he does not feel like the town is capable of having competitive salaries. Plus, he said volunteer firefighter rates are at an all-time low.
He added that he is worried about response times and the potential for future litigation because of understaffing.
Nelson told News13 he wishes he know about this issue before he took on the job.
“I think this is a good town, I think the department is a good town,” Nelson said. “I just think that it’s the way the world seems to be going lately more that it’s harder and harder for smaller fire departments to maintain that capability that they need to do.”
No decision was made during the workshop.
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Adrianna Lawrence is a multimedia journalist at News13. Adrianna is originally from Virginia Beach, Virginia, and joined the News13 team in June 2023 after graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University in May 2023. Keep up with Adrianna on Instagram, Facebook, and X, formerly Twitter. You can also read more of her work, here.
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Tomika Jackson joined News13 in April 2024 as a multimedia journalist. She started her journalism career in 2000 with previous stops at WALB TV10, CBS47 & WTOC11 in Savannah, Georgia. Tomika is a Georgia native and Valdosta State University graduate. Follow Tomika on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram. You can read more of her work here.
Dennis Bright is a Digital Producer at News13. He joined the team in May 2021. Dennis is a West Virginia native and a graduate of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Follow Dennis on, Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here.
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