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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 paramedics last year, delivered about 38,000 hours of training and reported six surviving out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. “We’re still two times the national average in save rate from witnessed cardiac arrest,” Blankenship said, noting recognition through national resuscitation programs.
Blankenship reported revenue and program details: EMS billing produced just over $2.5 million in collections (up about $89,000 from 2024) and the department received $93,859 from South Carolina opioid-recovery funding to stand up a substance-abuse and mental-health management team that has already made community contacts.
He also told council of operational friction with the local hospital. Recent policy changes mean hospital staff will no longer routinely ride with ambulances for some interfacility transports; Blankenship said that reduced interfacility-transport numbers and that the department will work with hospital leadership to find alternatives. “We were informed last week that they will no longer do that,” he said, adding staff will seek a solution with hospital leadership.
On staffing and standards, Blankenship warned of potential budgetary impacts if national OSHA rules were to formally follow NFPA staffing guidance. The department is working toward “two and two” staffing models at stations where possible and called for continued budget support to maintain emergency-response coverage.
Council members praised the report. One councilor said the packet and graphics were “wonderful to see,” and the mayoral chair urged continued support for the department’s budget requests to ensure adequate staffing on trucks.
The department said it will continue accreditation work, update a five-year strategic plan and pursue community risk-assessment work in 2026. Staff flagged the hospital-escort change as an item they will address with hospital officials and report back to the council.
The presentation closed with council members offering public support for recruitment, continued community CPR training, and the department’s outreach programs.
