MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – The Myrtle Beach Fire Rescue answered a record number of calls in 2017, with nearly 15,000, which is an increase of 500 from 2016.
Lt. Jonathan Evans with the Myrtle Beach Fire Rescue said their average response time right now is between three and five minutes, and with the growing number of calls, they want to make sure they’re keeping up with demand to keep people safe.
During the summer, the department puts an extra ambulance in service, but now they’re considering using it year-round to help with the increase in calls.
Fire Station No. 3 is one of the busiest stations in the city, according to Lt. Evans. He said they will expand the station and add more firefighters for the expected increase in calls. The project is expected to cost about $2 million, though no timeline has been set as to when the expansion of the station and the training ground will be complete.
“It’s time for us to expand that building and grow with the city,” said Lt. Evans. “We’ve already been doing some improvements to the training ground which is there as well, so this is the next step to make that station better for that area.”
If the amount of calls continues to rise over the next few years, as is expected, Lt. Evans said the department has land on Coventry Blvd. to add an additional fire station.
