Charleston County Volunteer
Fire and Rescue Squad
On October 4, 1962, the North Charleston Volunteer Rescue Association received its charter from the state of South Carolina. However, volunteers were nothing new to the community. From 1935-62, fire protection for areas north of the city of Charleston was provided by a volunteer force from the St. Phillips Parish, St. Michael's Parish and the North Charleston Public Service District fire departments.
In 1962, the North Charleston Public Service District became a paid department and ended its use of volunteers. While some of the volunteers accepted paid positions, others felt a strong need for volunteers in the community to extricate victims trapped in automobile accidents, search for lost persons and overdue boaters, and recover drowned victims. This group of six men petitioned the state for the original charter for the organization.
During the ceremony commemorating the official beginning of the North Charleston Volunteer Rescue Association at Magistrate John R. Stall's office on Jenkins Avenue, three women burst into the presentation to report that their husbands were missing on the Cooper River - thus the first official call for the Association.
While the organization aimed to provide services to surrounding areas not covered by the paid departments, the Association maintained a working relationship with these departments and provided services to North Charleston and surrounding communities and counties alike.
At the time, the Isle of Palms Rescue Squad, James Island Fire Department, Johns Island Fire Department , St. Andrews Rescue Service, City of Charleston Police and County Police only provided crash wagons - used to "scoop up" the victim and rush to the hospital.
The Rescue Association, on the other hand, was the only organization capable of providing extrication capabilities - with port-a-powers, cutting torches and the first arriving wrecker. The Association also manned the boat that was used to search the rivers for lost boaters - since the fire departments relinquished this task.
During the early 1960s through the late 1970s, the Association provided Disaster Teams to the American Red Cross and responded with First Aid Teams and Shelter Teams up and down the east coast to assist during hurricanes.
In 1972 the Association received the first "Jaws of Life" delivered to the state of South Carolina, and one of the few that was delivered throughout the southeast. The tool was paid for by the man who became the local McDonald's franchise owner in the Charleston area and the local 7-11 corporation.
In 1973, the Association's name was changed to the Charleston County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Squad, Inc., to better reflect the community served.
2003, the Squad built and moved into its new headquarters station at 2521 Rescue Drive which was dedicated to Mr. Robert L. Dunlap the only active charter member still active with the Rescue Squad.
Today, the Volunteer Fire and Rescue Squad is a volunteer organization consisting of 56 members and a medical control doctor who serve not only the city of North Charleston, but the entire Charleston County area. Members are certified in a variety of emergency skills, including auto extrication, fire fighting, structural collapse/urban search and rescue, diving, large animal rescue, rural search and rescue, and high angle/ technical rescue. In addition, many squad members are First Responders, EMTs and Paramedics.
