HARTSVILLE, SC (WBTW) – This weekend the Hartsville fire department celebrates 109 years of service
Inside the Hartsville Fire Department there are pictures and awards reminding the current fireman history dating back to 1908.
Lieutenant Tim Watford who has been a fire fighter with the department for the last 5 years knows how hard the fireman before him had to work
“Whenever the Hartsville fire department was started it was strictly volunteers, you had 20 volunteers to horses and the carriage that carried the hose” said Watford.
“I honestly don’t know how they did it back then just with wooden axe’s, now we have chainsaws. To be able to cut these guys had to be in really good shape, better shape than we are now,” he added.
Even though the current team may not be on the physical level as there previous workers, locals told News 13, their hearts are just as strong.
“They are a great group of guys, I see them drive by all of the time they wave and I wave right back,” said Hartville resident Heather Schooley.
While the Hartsville fire fighters know of their, legacy Lieutenant Watford says the work doesn’t stop.
“We take the time out to celebrate things birthday and anniversaries like the anniversary of the fire department but when it all comes down to it we have a job to do we have to protect the citizens of Hartsville,” said Watford.