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Picture of the First Whitney Fire Department
at
825
Chesnee Hwy
Whitney Fire Department was organized in 1958 at a meeting in the First Baptist
Church of Whitney. Whitney Fire Department 's first station was a two-bay white
block building next door to the old Whitney Elementary School.
Whitney's original truck company consisted of Engine 1(a 1958
Ford American LaFrance) Tanker 3(an International Tanker). Whitney was the third department to charter a rescue squad.
Whitney requested the use of the
number 2 for Whitney's first ambulance (Rescue 2, an old army truck). In
the late 1960's a wreck on Barnwell Road totaled Engine 1. The department purchased
Engine 4 (a
1967 Ford American LaFrance). The members of the
department rebuilt Engine 1 remounting it with a 1959 model cab. In 1959 Whitney Fire Department
joined the South Carolina
Firemen's Association.
Whitney Area Fire Protection Association was formed by a referendum in 1964
that allowed the department to
start collecting taxes on all taxable property at a rate of 3 mills. In 1969 Whitney Fire Department district passed another referendum to increase the tax millage by 1 giving
Whitney a total of 4
mills. The new revenue produced from this mill increase was used to construct a new 4 bay fire station
at 220
Bryant RD (Whitney's present location). In 1981 the Fire station
was dedicated in memory of T .Wayne Early, fire chief and one of the founding
members of Whitney Fire Department , who was killed in a car wreck. The new addition
of 4 bays was built in the late 1980`s giving Whitney at total of 8 bays.
In 1985 the department purchased a 1985 Ward Fire Engine (Engine 2). A second
engine was purchased in 1992 (a Quality, which is currently Engine 1) to
replace the 1959 Ford American LaFrance Pumper. In that same year the
department also
purchased a 1992 Dodge Brush Truck (Brush 1) and a International Tanker
(T3). These trucks replaced the oldest trucks of Whitney's fleet (Trucks 3 and 5).
A 1992 Service Truck was also purchased. The old refurbished Army Brush
Truck 5 was given back to the South Carolina Forestry Commission. The old
refurbished Army Tanker was sold. In 2001, Whitney replaced the 1992
International Tanker with a 2001 Freightliner. A
2004 Ford F250 4x4 quad cab was purchased in 2003. A third engine was
purchased in 2006 (a Crimson, witch is currently Engine 4) to replace 1967 Ford
American LaFrance Pumper.In August 2007 the 1985 Ward Fire Engine (Engine 2)
became a reserve engine at that time
In 2004 Whitney
began to put its plan in motion to convert Whitney to a combination fire
department. The first step was to hire the current Fire Chief as paid part-time
personnel to oversee the daily operations of the department. A referendum
to increase the tax mill by 12 mills was approved in 2004 giving Whitney a tax
millage of 16. Whitney plans to use the revenue from the millage increase
to completely convert Whitney to a combination fire department that will include
3 paid daytime personnel to help protect and serve the Whitney Area Fire
District. Whitney also has future goals of implementing around the clock
(24 hour) paid staff which will include first response to aid in the fast relief
of medical attention until EMS can arrive. Whitney members and
commissioners are devoted and determined to provide the best service and
protection to the Whitney Fire Department District.
On May 17,2005 Whitney Fire Department Commission Board voted to dissolve
Rescue 2.
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