Fire chiefs urge higher starting pay, warn of equipment delays as FY27 budgets are presented

Several Beaufort County fire-district chiefs told county council during a May 5 budget workshop that raising pay is central to retaining firefighters and keeping stations staffed, while equipment lead times and borrowing limits complicate long-term planning.

DeFusky Island Fire District representatives said the district will keep its current millage and 'we are not raising any taxes. We're just keeping up with growth,' while continuing investments in apparatus, training and workforce stability. The presenter said the district's entry-level starting pay for someone without prior training is 'around 46–47,000.' The chief warned that ladder trucks now average about $2.1 million and that the district faces a legal borrowing cap of about 8% of assessed value, limiting replacement options; moving large apparatus to the island costs roughly $1,200 by barge, the presenter said.

Shelton Fire District said salaries account for the largest budget increase in its $2.32 million proposal. Its chief said the starting pay would move from $40,000 to $47,000 under the requested package and that the district lost nine firefighters over the prior year, 'eight of them because of probably pay.' Shelton proposed using $86,634 of fund balance and a 1.1-mil increase under allowable caps to meet operational needs while buying a pumper and a tanker.

Ladies Island / St. Helena's presenter reported holding the millage at 42.7 and raising the entry-level salary by $5,000 to about $49,484; the district plans to draw $217,208 from debt-reserve funds to meet a projected debt-service level of $843,837 next year while keeping an ending fund balance near $2.99 million. Bluffton Township said it does not anticipate a millage increase and reported a starting pay of $52,800, with three vacancies and plans to add one mechanic to its maintenance division.

Chief Roundry told council his department aims to continue moving toward a $50,000 starting base and flagged three- to four-year lead times for new trucks, noting two vehicles currently on multi-year build schedules for 2028 and 2029. Roundry also said the department will lose one employee with the end of a federal opioid grant.

Council members repeatedly pressed chiefs on pay structure and on how staffing increases would be funded. Several council members encouraged the districts to coordinate on a common starting-pay range to reduce staff turnover between districts; one chief said 'our goal was 50,000' and that the districts are 'all very close to that' but that pay remains a 'moving target.'

The chiefs also emphasized equipment challenges: extended production lead times, efforts to standardize purchases for maintenance efficiency, and limits on debt capacity that make outright replacement difficult. Several chiefs said they are pursuing refurbishment and other interim strategies to extend apparatus life.

Council followed up by inviting chiefs to provide input at committee level on proposed changes to the county's burning ordinance and on a broader discussion about coordinating salary ranges and consolidation options; staff said follow-up at the finance committee and other venues will be scheduled.