Hilton Head Fire & Rescue reports busiest year on record, highlights EMS demands and staffing needs

Chris Blanksha, Hilton Head Island fire chief, told the Community Service and Public Safety Committee that 2024 was the department’s busiest year on record.

“We had the busiest call‑call wise year that we’ve ever had last year, ran over 10,000 total incidents and over 14,000 total unit responses,” Blanksha said, noting an average of about 27 incidents per day and a roughly 30% increase in call volume since 2020.

The report presented by Blanksha and Deputy Chief Johanna Pfister described a department whose workload is driven largely by EMS calls and by incidents at assisted‑living and senior facilities. Blanksha said about 71% of patients transported were residents of Hilton Head Island and that the largest patient cohort was people 65 and older. The department collected just under $2.5 million in EMS revenue in 2024 and reported a collection rate of roughly 81%.

The presentation summarized operational benchmarks, response metrics and areas for improvement. Blanksha said travel times have crept up, largely because stations are stretched and units increasingly respond outside their primary districts. He also said the department has slowed alarm‑handling times to gather better information before dispatching, a change intended to improve overall responses.

Fire activity was limited: 33 structure fires were reported in 2024 with one fire fatality and one fire injury. Blanksha said the department’s chronic arrest save rate was 70% last year, which he described as “one of our best years ever.” He also noted 39 doses of naloxone were administered in 2024 and said that number has trended down from COVID years.

On staffing and equipment, Blanksha told the committee the department hired 15 firefighters in 2024, promoted several lieutenants and drivers, and put eight new pumpers into service at a per‑unit cost of about $631,000. He warned that similar apparatus purchased today would cost “roughly $200,000 more” per vehicle. The department also operates regional special‑operations teams (USAR and HAZMAT) funded in part by state and federal Homeland Security grants and houses Lowcountry equipment.

Committee members pressed Blanksha on bottlenecks to response time. Councilman Steven DeSimone and others cited congested corridors — especially the island’s southern end and seasonal traffic near South Beach — as the primary cause of increased travel time. Blanksha said outreach, station location and equipment replacement on scheduled timelines remain priorities, and he asked for continued council support for the department’s operating budget and CIP needs.

Deputy Chief Johanna Pfister said the town requires AEDs in town facilities and that the department partners to encourage and maintain AEDs at many public sites, including hotels, golf courses and PUDs. Pfister described community CPR training and partnerships the department uses to raise bystander response rates.

The department asked the committee to support capital replacement and a long‑term headquarters solution; officials said current headquarters and training classroom space are constrained and that the dispatch/EOC workspace is rented and not adequate for long‑term operations.

Blanksha closed by outlining initiatives under way: address ordinance work, a community paramedicine program, strategic planning and outreach. Committee members thanked the department and noted they would discuss budget and facility planning in coming CIP work.

Ending: The committee did not take a formal vote on the annual report; attendees said they will consider the department’s budget requests and facility needs during upcoming CIP and budget discussions.