NEW CHARLESTON FIRE CHIEF

September 11, 2012 —  Due to the nature of the date, it was a special day and it seemed appropriate to have Charleston’s newest and first female, Fire Department Chief, Karen Brack, as our speaker.  Chief Brack was accompanied by several of her staff as well as her color guard.  Chief Brack most recently served in Eugene, Oregon from 2007-2012, but she quickly pointed out that she was from the South and was glad to be back where we all talk like she does.  She was originally from Savannah and Jacksonville and served Atlanta’s Fulton County Fire Department before her time in Oregon.  She took a few moments to talk about 9/11 and what it means to firefighters.  She noted that she’s always impressed by the community’s desire to respond in times of such crisis and pointed out that a 3 day boot drive in Fulton County resulted in $500,000 dollars raised.  She had done her homework on Rotary and was envious of our ‘Service Above Self’ motto.  While not exactly the motto of the fire department, it certainly seems that it’s in the heart of all firefighters.

Chief Brack explained that she was recently surprised to discover that many people are not aware of all the responsibilities of a fire department.  She spent most of her discussion explaining these responsibilities and the role a fire department plays in its’ community.  First, she noted that 70-80% of the call volume for a fire department is emergency medical calls.  This is due to the fire department’s ability to usually arrive first on the scene.  Chief Brack was very proud that Charleston’s fire department has had 5 cardiac saves in the past year.  Secondly, she noted that the special HAZMAT and USAR teams are other important responsibilities of the fire department.  The HAZMAT team is responsible for identifying and dealing with hazardous materials while the USAR team is responsible for urban search and rescue.  Chief Brack noted a new role for Charleston’s Fire Department will begin in October when they receive their new Fire Boat.  Lastly, she reminded us of the department’s importance in Community Risk Reduction through their issuance of event and fireworks permits and building inspections.  A question by a member later pointed out that responding to downtown Charleston flooding is also a fire department responsibility.  Chief Brack was quite serious when she noted that 3 jon boats will be deployed next time such flooding occurs downtown.   She is proud of the equipment that the department currently owns and is pleased to be receiving, in addition to the new Fire Boat, a new HAZMAT truck and a new Tiller (advanced ladder) truck.

She is quite proud of her new staff as well and especially of the department’s mechanic that maintains the equipment.  Chief Brack noted that Charleston’s firefighters train rigorously for 26 weeks before achieving their Firefighter 1 and Firefighter 2 certifications.  They graduate with the bookwork for an EMT certification as well.