So far in 2018, Horry County Fire Rescue has responded to nearly 4,300 calls. Currently, the county is split into three sections known as battalions, and Captain Mark Nugent said they are splitting the third battalion in half to create a fourth.
“So now it’s about 10 stations in each of them instead of thirteen or fourteen,” Captain Mark Nugent said. “It just gives us a better span of control, a smaller area for those battalion chiefs to be responsible for, less stations that they’re responsible for.”
On February 3, 11 officers are being promoted to lieutenant and Captain Brian Archibald is being promoted to a new battalion chief.
“That’s an exciting time for an organization for that many promotions, and we’re excited about this fourth battalion because it just, it’s going to be safer for our folks,” predicts Capt. Nugent. “Anytime we can have an extra battalion chief or a chief officer out in the street, we get busy, as we discussed a little while ago, there’s a lot of things going on.”
Capt. Archibald agrees, saying the distance crews must travel when they receive a call can be lengthy, but the change will help firefighters and EMS respond more quickly.
“Right now you have to go from one end of the county to the other, toward Nichols from the beach. It’s hard to manage, so breaking that up, you will get to spend time with your people,” Archibald said.
He’s been with Horry County Fire Rescue for 16 years and thinks this is one of the many positive changes planned for 2018.
“I’m excited, kinda nervous at the same time and I look forward to helping the department grow,” Archibald said.
Capt. Nugent said recruitment is a top priority for 2018, as they are still short medics. They’ve been giving presentations to local colleges as well as discussing the possibility for part-time employees.
