Clarendon County Fire Rescue is staying hydrated, wants public to do the same

Clarendon County Fire Rescue is a combination of Fire and EMS - men and women - who love what they do serving the residents of Clarendon County. With just one year under our belt, we are surely a driving force of greatness in emergency services.

We are a stronger team now after merging in June 2020. Both sides of emergency services bring so much to the table when it comes to doing the job of taking care of not only the residents of Clarendon County, but also each other.

It's summertime, and rolling out together means some hot days out there on calls. To make sure all team members stay hydrated, it comes down to educating and encouraging each other to drink plenty of fluids.

Clarendon County Fire Rescue provides all members with means of hydration; we keep water on hand in various places. Our units have water coolers with ice-cold water and Gatorade. We have officers within the department that can set up a rehab area on any call if needed.

Medic teams can monitor teammates, ensuring no one gets overheated or unable to perform tasks without risk. Medical teams can pair up with the Incident Command to set up a rehab area using tents, chairs, cooling towels and team member assessment, including vital signs. This area is used to make sure all members are safe and performing duties without danger. We have come together in the last year and have created a very strong department. Each member contributes something to the team and the residents of Clarendon County daily.

Please make sure you stay safe and hydrated during the hot days of summer.

Signs of dehydration

- increased thirst

- dry mouth

- fatigue

- impaired mental focus

- low urine output

- inability to produce tears or sweat

- sunken eyes

- dry skin

How much water should you drink daily? Your weight = ounces of water per day.

For more information on heat-related issues and CCFD, please visit our website, www.clarendonfirerescue.com.

We are United to Serve!

Simply showing up for work brings a warm welcome, a "good morning" smile and maybe even a quick conversation and a quick cup of coffee. The staff has merged into one big family: United to Serve. Morning routines get started, and crew members are working together to prepare themselves, their apparatus and equipment. Fire crews and medical crews are sharing responsibilities and knowledge. Many have already become cross-trained in both Fire Suppression and Emergency Patient Care, and it shows in the field. On scene, these crews work together and accomplish amazing things under a crazy number of stressors.

Regardless of the type of call, the team comes together, and each brings its own unique training and experience to the scene to accomplish the best outcome for the incident. Fire teams are giving medical support on medical scenes, and medical is providing support to fire teams.

Medic units roll out along with fire units and arrive on scene to assist with scene size up, scene safety, patient care, accountability, exterior fire support and rehab areas for team members. Medical crews have even taken the role as "hose draggers."

Fire units roll with medical units to aid where needed, everything from scene size up, scene safety, assisting with equipment and patient packaging/loading. They have even been known to take the role as an "ambulance driver," or whatever it takes.

It is all about getting the job done together as one and making sure everyone goes home safely.