Six Lowcountry Fire Departments Sign Aid Agreement to Expand Cross-Boundary Protection

Press Release

Five greater Lowcountry fire departments will be recommitting to a nearly 10-year old aid agreement to provide cross-boundary support when responding to fires and emergencies. In addition, the Town of Mount Pleasant will be joining the aid agreement, increasing the cross-boundary support by 58 square miles. 

The governing bodies of the City of Charleston, the City of North Charleston, St. Andrews Public Service District, James Island Public Service District, St. John’s Fire District, and the Town of Mount Pleasant each approved an Interlocal Agreement for Automatic Aid and Response to provide mutual assistance during emergencies and will jointly sign the agreement on Thursday, June 2, 2022, at 10 am at the North Charleston Fire Museum. Mayors, Fire Chiefs, District Managers, and Commissioners will participate in the ceremony. 

At the ceremony, six neighboring fire departments will formally enter into the automatic aid agreement for fire protection. This agreement is the result of years of work to develop identical or compatible procedures that allow the members of these six fire departments to work together seamlessly at fires and other emergency incidents. 

The aid agreement provides emergency response from the closest appropriate fire unit, regardless of the municipal and service district boundaries. Faster response can significantly improve the outcome of incidents and could result in saving more lives and property. Ten years of unified sharing of resources has provided an effective emergency response and adding the Town of Mount Pleasant to the aid agreement grows the life saving resources extended to a greater geographical area of the Lowcountry. The six Lowcountry fire departments protect a combined 406,193 people in 529 square miles with 1,051 fire department personnel. 

“This agreement renews and expands our automatic aid partnerships so we can more readily work across jurisdictions for the benefit of all citizens,” said North Charleston Fire Chief Greg Bulanow. 

“Our highest responsibility is to ensure a safe Charleston community. This agreement allows us to accomplish that, regardless of jurisdictional boundaries,” said Charleston Fire Chief Dan Curia.

“As the Charleston area continues to grow, the addition of Mount Pleasant, combined with the re-affirmed commitment to our partnership, allows us to enhance our efficiencies and continue providing a prepared professional response to all of our citizens,” said St. Andrews Public Service District Fire Chief Charles Lamoreaux. 

“The additional safety provided to the firefighters and citizens covered by the Automatic Aid Agreement is immeasurable,” said James Island Public Service District Fire Chief M. Chris Seabolt. 

“Few areas of the country have the strength of a comprehensive response program as we do here in the Charleston area. We look forward to working with our partners for years to come,” said St. John’s Fire District Fire Chief Ryan Kunitzer. 

“This automatic-aid agreement creates a partnership that fosters a collective intelligence and resource sharing that makes the sum greater than its parts,” said Town of Mount Pleasant Fire Chief Mike Mixon. 

Participating in the signing ceremony: 

City of North Charleston 

Keith Summey, Mayor 

Fire Chief Greg Bulanow 

City of Charleston 

John Tecklenburg, Mayor 

Fire Chief Dan Curia 

St. Andrews Public Service District 

Christie Holderness, District Manager 

Fire Chief Charles Lamoreaux 

James Island Public Service District 

David Schaeffer, District Manager 

Fire Chief M. Chris Seabolt 

St. John’s Fire District 

Leroy Blake, Commission Chair 

Fire Chief Ryan Kunitzer 

Town of Mount Pleasant 

Eric DeMoura, Town Administrator 

Fire Chief Mike Mixon 

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