New fire station opens on Carter Road

Greenwood County took one more step Friday toward the goal of countywide fire protection.

“This will be the official opening,” Josh Skinner, Greenwood County capital project sales tax coordinator, said about the fire station on Carter Road.

Chairman Steve Brown and Councilman Mark Allison joined county staff, volunteer firemen and the Carter family to open the new fire station.

“We just want to say to the Carter family thank you, thank you, thank you,” Brown said.

Allison also thanked the Carter family.

“Thank you to the Carter family,” Allison said. “I live down on Kinard Road so this is close to home, this is home, so thank you.”

Brown said the land where the fire station sits belonged to Gene Carter and was part of the estate of his father, Eddie. Gene donated the land so the county could build the fire station.

Gene helped his mother, Donna, cut the ceremonial ribbon opening the station while Donna’s grandchildren, Ella and Owen, held one end of the ribbon and Fire Chief Jerry Roberts held the other.

“We owe a big debt of gratitude to these volunteer firemen,” Brown said.

Brown said volunteer firefighters have to complete more than 200 hours of training before they can enter a fire station.

“Now we are going to turn this station over to this cadre of volunteers that’s going to make these services happen down here in this community,” Brown said.

Roberts, who has been a fireman for 48 years, said it is difficult to get volunteer firefighters these days.

Brown said he appreciates Greenwood County residents voting for the penny sales tax that funded this project.

“This is what community is all about,” Brown said.

This fire station is at 1901 Carter Road in the Lower Lake district in Ninety Six.

This is the second fire station to open as part of Greenwood County’s Fire Master Plan. County Council on Tuesday approved a contract for the addition and renovation of Medic 30 EMS station on Highway 25 South.

After Medic 30, the county will have three more fire station projects, Skinner said. Two of the three projects have land while the county is still seeking land for the third project.

When finished, the county will have 99.6% of homes within five miles of fire station.

Originally Published by Index-Journal on:Sep 5, 2020

 By JAMES HICKS jhicks@indexjournal.com

Article Link: https://www.indexjournal.com/news/new-fire-station-opens-on-carter-road/article_5e6769cc-4aff-5e58-aea0-cf12955c68ae.html