Beyond the call: Hilton Head Island Fire and Rescue’s lifesaving innovations, community outreach and educational initiatives

By Mayor Alan Perry

Contributor

When most of us think of fire and rescue services professionals, we visualize heroism, selflessness, courage and compassion. What you may not always think or know about, though, is the ways they give back to our community when there isn’t an emergency medical call or a fire to put out.

Our Hilton Head Island Fire and Rescue team, led by Chief Chris Blankenship, makes it a priority to learn and implement modern fire and rescue innovations to keep us all as safe as possible. They work equally as hard to prevent catastrophes in our homes, inspire the next generation of first responders and health care professionals and lift our community up through special programs.

For example, Fire Prevention Week kicks off this year with a free pancake breakfast and educational event open to the public at Fire Station #4 on Sunday, Oct. 6. This year’s nationwide theme underscores the need for working smoke alarms in the home. This fun, family-friendly morning with learning stations, games, fire truck tours and a junior firefighter challenger course offers a chance to talk with the pros about smoke alarms and their proper use.

Ride-along programs offered by our Hilton Head Island first responders provide a unique opportunity for USCB nursing students to observe our team in action, from gaining firsthand understanding of what the job entails to illuminating the important role first responders play as part of the health care team. And the EMT program open to high school seniors who attend the Beaufort-Jasper Academy for Career Excellence teaches these students how to recognize and respond to various emergencies as they explore emergency medical career paths. This one-semester program also includes CPR and AED certifications, which is the first step in becoming an emergency medical technician.

Finally, our team finds ways to lift the spirits and sense of pride within our community through initiatives such as the Red-Hot Readers Program. The goal is to help improve self-esteem and overall confidence of Hilton Head School for the Creative Arts students through the power of reading and group discussion.

Our fire and rescue team goes above and beyond so that we can go about our daily lives while we count on them to be there on our worst day. I encourage everyone to think about how we might find ways to express our gratitude for those who give so much, and so willingly, for all of us.

Alan Perry is the mayor of the Town of Hilton Head Island. AlanP@hiltonheadislandsc.gov