Historical Spotlight: Chief Eddie Rivers

August 1, 2023

Eddie Rivers didn’t grow up in the fire service. He joined the military when he was of-age and moved back to Pageland where he worked for his dad’s laundry and dry-cleaning business after his time serving the country.

The fire department was across the street from the laundromat, intriguing the young veteran.. When Eddie asked the chief about joining, he was told he needed to grow up before he was ready for the commitment. After a few years running calls, they accepted him as one of their own.

“When I initially joined, we didn’t put out many fires… we attempted to put them out, but we didn’t have the skills nor equipment to do the job we needed to do,” Chief Rivers said. “That’s when we realized we needed to develop some training skills and get some better equipment.”

When the Pageland Fire Department reorganized in 1966, Eddie had been on the department for 3 years. It was then that he was elected chief and never looked back.  

Chief Rivers grew into the role and found himself on the big stage at the State House when he was appointed by Gov. Richard Riley to serve on the State Fire Commission. Richard Mincey, former Association lobbyist, is credited with getting Chief Rivers involved on the state level.

“In working with Richard over those years, he asked me one day if I would be interested in serving on a state board… so, in a short period of time, I was asked if I would serve on the State Fire Commission,” Chief Rivers said. “It makes me feel real good to know that I had some small part in trying to improve the services of our fire service throughout the state.”

In addition to his statewide service, Chief Rivers has given back to the community that raised him by serving on County Council for 35 years. All 3 of his sons joined the fire service when they were old enough, with his son, Tommy, currently serving as fire chief; 3 of his grandsons are firefighters, too.

Chief Rivers’ advice to the upcoming generation remains true to his servant heart: it’s not about serving you, it’s about serving other people.

Watch our full interview with Chief Rivers.