Year in review: How your Association worked for you in 2022

December 16, 2022

2022 is coming to an end. It’s been a year of great successes, difficult losses, exciting events, hopeful interactions, and much, much more. A year is a long time and it’s easy to forget all that’s been accomplished in the last 12 months. Let’s look back at what the Association’s been up to in 2022.

January

• In the early days of 2022, The Executive Committee, Training and Education committee, and staff were looking forward to Fire Service Improvement Conference in late January in Columbia—only to have a once-in-a-blue-moon snowstorm hit the Midlands the same weekend as FSIC. The hands-on-training conference was rescheduled to March.
• The Health & Safety Committee continued to spread the word about firefighter cancer prevention, particularly during January as the month is designated as Firefighter Cancer Prevention month.
• The Officers Section announced in January the first-ever Fire Officer Academy: The Company Officer. In the year since the announcement, the program has taken on a life of its own—there are 2 Company Officer programs scheduled for 2023 and its gained interest from other states.
• The South Carolina Fire Heritage Center announced the assistance of Clarendon County Archivist and friend of the Association’s Meesha “M.L.” Witherspoon in its archiving efforts. Meesha’s guidance in archiving the documented history of the South Carolina fire service will help preserve original documents for future generations and her expertise will help guide the Center’s efforts.

February

• The South Carolina fire service is where it is today due in large part to the contributions of Black firefighters over the years. February is Black History Month and the South Carolina State Firefighters’ Association was proud to share on social media some of the history of the Black community in the fire service.
• We announced the 2022 date for Legislative Day and provided instructions on signing up to escort representatives and a brief write-up of the (then current) talking points.
• In mid-February we welcomed the families and departments of the members we lost in 2021 at the annual Firefighter Memorial Service. The Memorial Service is one of the most important events the Association hosts and it is an honor and privilege to hold hands with the grieving.

March

• In March, we celebrated the contributions of women to the fire service for Women’s History Month! In a profession that’s historically dominated by white men, we recognize the importance of making sure that women’s contributions do not go unnoticed and are instead studied and celebrated.
• Legislative Day was held on March 9 and roughly 1,000 people attended despite uncertain weather conditions and having to operate between sessions. Legislative Day is critically important and allows firefighters around the state the opportunity to speak to their legislators in a unified setting.
• We partnered with Taylor's Tins for an autism awareness fundraiser. Thanks to the money raised from the fundraiser, we were able to sponsor two children of an Association member to attend the Unumb Center's Camp U. 
• After much anticipation and rescheduling, we held our hands-on-training event, Fire Service Improvement Conference, in March. Many of the courses used acquired structures throughout the Midlands thanks to a partnership with SCDOT. 

April

• We announced in April the departure of Executive Director Charlie King, who left the Association to serve his hometown of Anderson as fire chief. He is greatly missed but active with the Association. Joe Palmer, retired Association Executive Director, took Charlie’s place and is currently in his third (yes, this is his third time coming out of retirement) stint as Executive Director.
• The South Carolina Firefighters Foundation announced in April it was participating in Midlands Gives in May, an online giving event that focuses on bringing the region together as one community to raise money and support for local nonprofits. Midlands Gives is hosted by the Central Carolina Community Foundation.

May

• We began the official countdown to Fire-Rescue in May with the announcement of the Back to the Beach Bash with South Carolina Firefighters Insurance. To say the event was a hit is an understatement.
• Defining ‘volunteer’ is a big ask. Questions about volunteerism and what it means to be a volunteer have been on the rise in recent years, both at the local and state levels. The definitions around volunteerism, particularly in the fire service, are loose and often unclear, leaving the waters muddied for volunteers and fire department leadership. We tried to help clear up the waters in a FireWire.
• The Foundation had an exciting 2022. In May it announced that Fire-Rescue attendees would have the opportunity to bid to win a 2-day BMW Performance Driving School experience and all proceeds would benefit the Foundation.
• May 31, 2022 was the opening day for our annual voting period. Voting members were notified via email to cast their vote on May 31.
• The Association has produced several newsletters over the years, most of them being physical printpapers. In May of 2022, the Association launched its first digital e-newsletter as another way to communicate important news and updates to members and other stakeholders. Rattle Watch, our weekly newsletter, is archived every week and made available on the website.
• The Fire Officer Academy: The Company Officer finally came to fruition in May. Students completed pre-course work in the late winter/early spring prior to being accepted into the in-person program. The resounding success of The Company Officer was made clear early in the week and the second program is expected to meet the new standard.

June

• The month we’d all been waiting for – June finally rolled around, which meant it was time for Fire-Rescue! Fire-Rescue 2022 was our official relocation back to the beach and hundreds of our members made the trip to Myrtle Beach to attend. SCFIS hosted its Back to the Beach Bash at Lulu’s Barefoot Landing North Myrtle Beach and we’re thankful for everyone who joined us for such a fun night for our official back to the beach welcome party. The Foundation Golf Tournament played annually during Fire-Rescue raised thousands at one of its most successful tournaments in recent memory.
• The conclusion of Fire-Rescue marked the end of Past President Jamie Caggiano’s tenure. Current President Josh Holzheimer was sworn in during the Transfer of Command ceremony.
• The application period for Leadership Institute opened in late June. The twelve-month long program is a leadership development and educational program is set in an executive-level environment with an emphasis on open communication and group project-based skills. Many of the current Executive Committee members are LI alum.

July

• The South Carolina First Responders Assistance and Support Team (SC FAST) had a record year in 2022. When SC FAST Director Patti Graham was interviewed by the Association in July, she said, “By serving and being a supporter of our members and their departments, we are helping individuals, families, and departments to be healthier which can in turn helps with retention efforts.” 
• Fire-Rescue concluded in June and we hit the ground running a month later in July asking for speaker applications for 2023 events. The deadline for speaker applications was the end of September.

August

• Alumni of the first-ever Officer Academy created the David Lee Crenshaw “Big Dummy” Leadership award to be given to the student that best exemplifies the leadership characteristics thatDavid, who served the Anderson community as a firefighter for decades, embodied. Ben Crenshaw, Clemson University Fire & EMS Captain and David’s son, was presented the David Lee Crenshaw “Big Dummy” Leadership award at a small ceremony.
• It takes a coordinated group effort to achieve all that we set out to accomplish at the Association. To help us, we announced in August that we were seeking a Deputy Director. Still TBD!
• We announced that Corley Moore, founder of Firehouse Vigilance and Battalion Chief at Moore Fire Department in Moore, Oklahoma, would be our keynote speaker for Quarterly in October. Corley presented at Fire-Rescue 2022 and was a crowd favorite. (Look for his wife, Amanda, when she speaks at Fire-Rescue 2023!)
• SC FAST announced that it would be hosting its first-ever clinician’s academy, A Mile in Our Boots, in September at Colleton County Fire Rescue.

September

• A Mile In Our Boots, held September 16-18, was the first program of its kind and aimed to assistclinicians who regularly see first responders in recognizing stressors of first responders in both their personal lives and during emergency responses. The cohort formed strong bonds and left the weekend with an experience very few clinicians get to have. SC FAST is working with Colleton County Fire Rescue to host a second Mile in Our Boots program in 2023.
• The fire service has a people problem. We hear about staffing issues at career departments and problems with recruiting and retaining volunteers in volunteer departments. In September we announced two summits, Workforce Limitations Summit and Volunteer Criticality Summit, to allow for an open and honest conversation about the issues you’re facing and to figure out the next steps.
• We started asking for awards nomination in September. Our members do excellent work every day and we want to recognize them on the state level! Submit by January 31, 2023 to have your nomination considered for a 2022 award.

October

• Every October we host our Quarterly Training and Business Meeting. Corley Moore of Firehouse Vigilance joined us this year and presented his “Down and Dirty of Fireground Decision Making” lecture.
• We relaunched our Instagram in October! Due a series of unfortunate events in early September, we lost access to our original Instagram account and it was deleted. But we were able to recover the handle and we’re excited to (re)grow our Instagram community. Follow us at @scfirefighters!
• Parker District Fire Department hosted a golf tournament in late October with the goal of donating all proceeds to SC FAST. The tournament was a resounding success and Parker donated $13,000 to SC FAST. Parker is passionate about the good work SC FAST does because they’ve lost a few of their own to suicide. Thank you, Chief Farley and Capt. Garron, for your generosity and dedication to first responder behavioral health.
• Dues invoices were mailed in October. We also sent a reminder to department chiefs to submit Form 206 and Form 207 and select or confirm voting members.

November

• We hosted the Workforce Limitations Summit and Volunteer Criticality Summit in early November and productive conversation was had. Many thanks to our panelists and everyone who made the drive to Columbia to attend either or both summits. Summaries for the summits are available.
• In November the South Carolina Firefighters Foundation was one of nine organizations selected toreceive a $9,000 grant from Mobile Communications America as part of its annual MCA Day Grant program. It has truly been a record year for the Foundation. 
• The November Executive Committee meeting took place at EdVenture in Columbia. Bradley Anderson, retired chief of the Columbia Fire Department, serves as the fire service representative on the EdVenture Board and gave the Executive Committee a tour of the newly renovated Dalmatian Station in the museum. Chief of Community Risk Reduction at State Fire Josh Fulbright provided the Committee with an update on the impacts that teaching kids fire safety has on saving lives in South Carolina and assisted Chief Anderson with walking through the upgraded technology.

December

• We announced in early December that all Association members are getting new, updated membership cards. In conjunction with the announcement, we launched a campaign reminding members to login to the database to confirm their contact information. The name and department displayed on the new membership cards will be pulled from the database so it’s important to make sure that information is accurate.

And this is truly just scratching the surface of how your Association worked for you in 2022.

We also hosted 7 One Percent Regional Trainings in 2022; attended dozens of local department and chiefs meetings; the Cancer Coalition continued to work diligently to prevent firefighter cancer; South Carolina Firefighters Insurance Services provided outstanding coverage and customer service for our members; and so much more.

We’re excited for 2023 and grateful for another year to serve South Carolina firefighters.