City of Charleston Fire Department
The City of Charleston Fire Department provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of Charleston, South Carolina. In all the department is responsible for an area of with over 135,000 residents.
History
The first fire department in Charleston was a private insurance company which responded to fires of its members only; insured houses were marked by a metal plate on the front of the house. The first fire insurance company in America, the Friendly Society, began in Charleston on February 3, 1736. The earliest records of a volunteer fire department in Charleston appear in the minutes of the Board of Firemasters dated October 18, 1819. References to a Board of Firemasters date back to at least 1792. Until January 1, 1882, the fire department was a voluntary effort; after that date, the city fire department was a paid, professional department of the city. The newly formed fire department of 1882 had 103 firemen. Its first fire pumper was bought in 1910.Following the 1886 Charleston earthquake that devastated Charleston, the board of the Firemasters suggested selling off some stations, buying new locations, and building stations in a more strategic layout. The result was a series of three firehouses. Each one was designed by Daniel G. Wayne and cost about $28,000. The firehouse at the northeast corner of Wentworth and Meeting Streets became the most prominent and was, until 2013, the central fire house and office for the Chief of the fire department. The other two stations, built in 1887 are at 5 Cannon St. and 116 Meeting St. A new Headquarters opened on Heriot St. in November 2013, and the department has a total of 15 stations. The new Headquarters, Station 9, was designed by Rosenblum Coe Architects is the largest fire station in Charleston and built to withstand severe storms and seismic activity.
Stations and apparatus
| Address | Engine Company | Tower or Ladder Company | Special Unit | Chief Unit | Battalion | ||
| 2/3 | 262/264 Meeting Street | Engine 102 Engine 103 | Marine 101 Boat 102 | Battatlion 103 | 3 | ||
| 6 | 5 Cannon Street | Station Closed for Renovations | 3 | ||||
| 7 | 1173 Fort Johnson Road | Engine 107 | 5 | ||||
| 8 | 370 Huger Street | Engine 108 | 3 | ||||
| 9 | 1451 King Street | Engine 109 | HazMat 101, Rescue 116 | HQ, Command Staff | 3 | ||
| 10 | 1 Nicholson Drive | Engine 110 | Tower 105 | 5 | |||
| 11 | 1517 Savannah Hwy | Engine 111 | Squad 101 | 4 | |||
| 12 | 1352 Old Towne Road | Engine 112 | Air 101 | 4 | |||
| 13 | 358 Folly Road | Engine 113 | Battalion 105 | 5 | |||
| 14 | 3005 Memorial Drive | Engine 114 | Battalion 104 | 4 | |||
| 15 | 162 Coming Street | Engine 106 | Ladder 104 | 3 | |||
| 16 | 81 Ashley Hall Plantation Road | Engine 116 | 4 | ||||
| 17 | 1830 Bohicket Road | Engine 117 | Brush 117 | 5 | |||
| 18 | 235 Seven Farms Drive | Engine 118 | Ladder 101 | Battalion 106 | 6 | ||
| 19 | 1985 Bees Ferry Road | Engine 119 | Tower 102 | 4 | |||
| 20 | 1006 Pinefield Road | Engine 120 | Brush 120 | 6 | |||
| 21 | 1165 Cainhoy Road | Engine 121 | Tender 121 | 6 |