Latest news with #FlorenceFireDepartment
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Pee Dee first responders receive Duke Energy severe weather grants
FLORENCE, S.C. (WBTW) — Florence County first responders are among several Pee Dee agencies receiving grants from Duke Energy to help with severe weather emergency preparedness. Florence County and the city of Florence Fire Department received grants totaling $20,000 and $14,000, respectively. Duke Energy is awarding $500,000 to 38 nonprofit groups and government agencies across South Carolina through its Helping Emergency Response Organizations grant program, also known as HERO. Florence County officials will use the money to pay for a utility task vehicle, or UTV, and road barricades that will help officials prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural disasters, Duke Energy said in a news release. The city fire department will use the money to install a vehicle repeater system for communications equipment to keep lines of communication open when power outages anddamaged infrastructure disable traditional radio systems. 'Reliable communication is the backbone of effective emergency response, and during recent severe weather events, we've experienced firsthand how dangerous gaps in communication can be — for both our firefighters and the citizens we serve,' Florence Fire Chief Shannon Tanner said. 'This funding will allow us to implement a much-needed vehicle repeater system, enhancing our ability to coordinate resources, protect lives and maintain operational control when conditions are at their worst. We're grateful for Duke Energy's continued partnership and commitment to helping communities like Florence build resilience where it matters most.' Marion County is also receiving a $20,000 grant that will help fund emergency management software used to plan for and monitor evacuation activities during emergencies and track structures within a flood zone. 'The past offers us valuable insights into the outcomes of previous disasters; insights we can study, record and learn from,' said Justin Turner, the county's emergency management director. 'This knowledge empowers us to make informed, critical decisions for our communities. By learning from history and planning ahead, we equip ourselves to face the uncertainty of tomorrow's storms.' Others receiving grants include: City of Hartsville, $17,500 to help pay for a utility task vehicle, or ATV, and road barricades that will enhance the city's ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural disasters. Dillon County Emergency Services, $20,000 to buy a standby generator for use when severe weather events create multiday power outages. City of Lake City, $6,000 to buy additional handheld multiband radios so firefighters can communicate more effectively. Georgetown County, $12,000 to pay for additional radio equipment to allow the emergency operations center to communicate with state and other partner agencies when other communication systems are inoperable after a severe weather event. 'The one thing our company and communities learned in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene is you can never be too prepared for severe weather events,' said Tim Pearson, Duke Energy's South Carolina president. 'Now more than ever, we are committed to providing our fellow first responders the tools and training they need to handle whatever Mother Nature throws our way.' * * * Dennis Bright is the Digital Executive Producer at News13. He joined the team in May 2021. Dennis is a West Virginia native and a graduate of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Follow Dennis on Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Crews clear scene after ‘large' woods fire in Florence
FLORENCE, S.C. (WBTW) — Florence firefighters have cleared the scene after battling what they called a 'large' and 'fast-moving' woods fire Monday afternoon. West Florence Fire Rescue said in a Facebook post just before 4 p.m. that it was assisting the Florence Fire Department in a woods fire on Jennie O'Bryan Boulevard near N. Cashua Drive. The agency said the scene was cleared about 45 minutes later. No additional information was immediately available. * * * Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Black History Month: The first black firefighter in Florence
FLORENCE, Ala. (WHNT) — It isn't always easy being the first. Joe Louis Duster could tell you that. Facing incredible odds because the color of his skin didn't stop him and his determination to become a firefighter during the racial segregation era in Florence. Mike Lutzenkirchen speaks at teen driving safety summit held for North Alabama students 'There were separate water fountains for blacks and whites,' said Duster. 'I watched as the Klu Klux Klan burn a cross that was as tall as a utility pole just outside of the door where I was standing.' Duster documented much of his 16 years on the Florence Fire Department in photo books. 'I also have a picture of the first black policemen and he and I used to talk all of the time,' Duster said. Born on February 1, 1957, Duster grew up very poor in West Florence. While in grade school he dreamed of becoming a firefighter after not seeing a black fireman in his hometown department. Community Action Partnership says supplemental grant impacted by Executive Order On September 21, 1981, at 24 years of age, Duster made history by becoming the first black fireman in the city of Florence, but it wasn't easy. The schools were newly integrated when he graduated from Bradshaw High School in 1976. When he left the military after high school in 1979, he was told to do something else because there was no place for a black man in the fire department. To dissuade him from his dream he endured regular threats to his life. 'Those were some trying times because a lot of the white kids didn't understand us and a lot of the white teachers didn't know how to teach us and as a result, lot of black kids did not graduate,' Duster explained. Despite a military resume, his application was passed over several times. The fire chief denied that he ever applied. 'They said they didn't have an application on me,' Duster said. 'I was young and energetic back then and I didn't have anything to lose so I told them when I come back, me and my attorney will help you find my application.' Eventually, Duster was sworn in. He would make history again in 1994 by becoming the first black lieutenant fire inspector investigator in Northwest Alabama. 'I was willing to die for what I believed in, it didn't matter because I stood by what I believed in, and I believed that I could do the job just as well as anybody else,' Duster said. Duster tells of his experience as the first African American firefighter in the city of Florence in a book titled, 'Let Not Your Life Be Hardened.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
