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Fire Chief says calls hit record levels, flags staffing and hospital transport issues
Summary
Hilton Head Island Fire Chief Chris Blankenship told council the department logged nearly 14,000 unit responses in 2025, with EMS driving roughly 71–80% of calls, $2.5 million in EMS collections and new staffing and interfacility-transport challenges tied to a hospital policy change.
Fire Chief Chris Blankenship presented the Fire Rescue Department’s 2025 annual report to the Town Council, saying the department logged nearly 14,000 unit responses and just over 10,000 calls for service — both record-levels for recent years.
Blankenship highlighted public-safety outcomes: there were no fire fatalities in 2025, about 26 structure fires, an estimated $4.5 million in property lost and an estimated $194 million in property saved. He said EMS remains the department’s largest workload, accounting for roughly 71–80 percent of call volume.
The chief provided personnel and training details: the department has 59 paramedics (about 54 percent on duty), added six new…
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