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Mauldin Fire Department honored with FireSafe designation; unveils Amber, fire‑prevention canine
Summary
The Mauldin Fire Department received a FireSafe South Carolina designation for 2023 and unveiled a pilot fire‑prevention canine, Amber, a 2½‑year‑old German Shepherd mix handled by Fire Marshal John Centrone to support outreach and firefighter wellbeing.
The Mauldin Fire Department on Sept. 16 received the FireSafe South Carolina designation for 2023 and introduced a pilot fire‑prevention canine program designed to boost community education and support firefighter mental health.
Katie Flannery of the South Carolina State Fire Marshal's Office presented the FireSafe designation and said the award recognizes departments that made strategic plans, improved data quality and conducted community outreach. "By making strategic plans to reduce risks in the community, your fire department is taking steps necessary to make your community a safer place to live and work," Flannery said, noting about 154 of roughly 480 state departments received the designation in 2023.
City Administrator Seth Duncan and Fire Marshal John Centrone described a pilot program that will use Amber, a 2½‑year‑old German Shepherd mix, as an ambassador for the department. Duncan said Amber has been trained to assist with public demonstrations and to visit stations as a de‑stressing tool for personnel. Centrone described planned demonstrations — stop, drop and roll and crawling low in smoke — and said he and Amber have trained together for more than two years: "We've been working on this project for a little over 2 years now." The program will be used during Fire Prevention Month in October and aims to increase retention of safety techniques in outreach settings.
State Fire officials highlighted that Mauldin reported data all 12 months in 2023, reached over 5,000 community members and installed more than 300 smoke alarms, steps that helped the department qualify for the designation and will support future grant applications. City leaders and family members present praised the department's work and lauded the new outreach tool.
The fire‑prevention canine pilot will be led by the fire marshal and deployed in community demonstrations and station visits; the city said training and registration credentials (AKC/community canine and therapy credentials) are in place. Implementation and scheduling details will be finalized by the fire department ahead of October outreach events.
