Letter to editor from Burton fire chief: I work for you
Burton fire chief:
I work for you
Dear Editor,
I want to start by saying that I am a HUGE fan of The Beaufort Tribune. I check it daily and have found it to be informative and entertaining. Thank you for your service.
My name is Harry Rountree, I am the fire chief of the Burton Fire District, which serves the unincorporated areas of Port Royal Island in northern Beaufort County. I have served the citizens of Burton for over 25 years with the last 12 years as chief.
I have read with great interest the articles posted these last few days and have wanted to respond, but since I can only speak for the people I represent I have kept to myself. But then a gentleman from Lady’s Island brought forward some concerns on your site about the Burton district and I am compelled to address them with factual information as quickly as possible. I thank you for allowing me to do so.
- A Burton firefighter would have to work a lot of overtime to earn $30,000.
- A firefighter’s job is far from cushy. While they are not exposed to life threatening danger every minute of the day, they are exposed to it on a daily basis. It’s not like it is on television or the movies, but we responded to over 2600 emergencies last year and the people requiring our assistance can attest to the danger and risk. That answer may not be good enough for some. If not, we have a volunteer firefighter program (see it firsthand) or I can arrange for anyone to attend some training functions (with the appropriate waivers signed of course).
- Burton firefighters DO NOT take the fire apparatus to the movie theater to watch a movie, that is a fact. The truck you saw there was mine, a Dodge pickup truck and I was eating lunch at Beef O Bradys at the time (I loved that place). You may have seen more than one pickup truck there because I have met my training staff at that same establishment where we have had regular lunch and working lunches, where we paid with our own money and where we left unfinished meals to respond to emergencies. If that answer is not satisfactory please contact me. In the meantime, I will pay closer attention to where I park in the future to avoid that confusion.
- Parris Island recently purchased a “Flashover Simulator”. Flashover is an event that kills firefighters and citizens annually and firefighters need training on how to avoid them, prevent them and survive them. The training prop is expensive and the next closest one is in Savannah, I believe. Parris Island Fire Department offered Burton Fire Department the opportunity to send each of our firefighters through the simulator, which we jumped at. We sent one unit/apparatus at a time with the other four staying in their areas and Beaufort Fire Department and Sheldon Fire Department on standby to cover if necessary. The District was never uncovered; we continued to handle the emergencies and our response times were not affected.
I want to thank the gentleman for his concerns and applaud him for putting his name on them. I believe I have addressed those concerns and I hope I have not offended anyone with my answers. It is not my intention to be adversarial.
I also hope that if anyone has a problem or issue regarding the Burton Fire District or any of our firefighters that they will contact me and I will address them as quickly as possible. My contact information is listed below.
My intent in this correspondence is not to pick a fight with anyone or “add fuel to the fire”. I hope no one feels that way, but I couldn’t let some confusion possibly damage the reputation of the firefighters and officers I work with.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions or concerns. I cannot speak for other jurisdictions. I don’t represent them even though I have my opinion/answers on the previous articles. But if you are a Burton taxpayer and have a concern with the Burton Fire Department, then contact me.
I work for you.
Harry Rountree
Fire Chief
Burton Fire District
rountreeh@burtonfd.org
843-521-5539 office
843-521-5540 fax
www.burtonfd.org
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- Letters to the editor: City needs to communicate about fire department
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- Letter to editor: Thanks to Beaufort firefighters and police
