“Hope Out of Darkness” Finding Purpose after a Critical Incident Andrew Litzell is a 23-year veteran of Law Enforcement and is currently serving as a Captain with the Florida Highway Patrol. Andrew's experience began in 1998 as a Deputy Sheriff with the Putnam County Sheriff's Office where he worked for almost four years. While [...]
Paige Hood Tyner, widow of Charleston County Sheriff’s Office Master Deputy Keith M. Tyner, IV, will offer a presentation about her experiences as a law enforcement suicide survivor. It is her hope that her words will open minds and hearts to hear and to consider the potentially life-changing trauma experienced by many first responders and [...]
We are heading towards an amazing day on July 14th! Registration numbers are outpacing last year setting up an amazing opportunity to network with some of the best in the emergency services behavioral health world. For all of you that need CEUs for recertification, the National Association of Social Workers will be awarding 6.5 hours [...]
We were on the road today to Conway to present our introductory behavioral health program to the current Horry County Fire Rescue recruit class. We met an amazing group of young men and women who are about halfway through their training to take their places in the department. It is always a pleasure to visit [...]
What a great day today! We participated in the "Chucktown Throwdown" Car and Truck Show at the Elks Lodge West of the Ashley. Lots of beautiful cars, trucks, and motorcycles for all to see! We were fortunate to set up our "Road Runner" truck, Dawson Reindollar's 1956 Ford pickup truck, and the Charleston 9 C-10 [...]
Registration for our 9th Annual Lowcountry Firefighter Support Team Golf Tournament is now open for golfers and sponsors to register. The tournament will be held on October 7, 2022, beginning at 9:00 a.m. at the Miler Golf Course in Summerville. Come join us for a great day of golf, food, prizes, and fellowship. Follow this [...]
Come join us for a great day of learning and networking! Amazing opportunity for anyone interested in behavioral health care for our first responders. Speakers from law enforcement, Fire Service, EMS, 911 Telecommunications, and clinicians with exhibitors from multiple treatment facilities, hospitals, and others who support our first responders. CEUs will be awarded to our [...]
As most of you know, we lost one of our most avid supporters and friend when Ms. Ann Mulkey, (“Mama Mulkey”) passed away on March 10th of this year. For fifteen years, I was honored to know this woman as she worked tirelessly to be sure that the legacy of her son, Louis, and eight [...]
We are pleased to announce that David Pendarvis, III has joined our Lowcountry EMS Support Team to provide peer support to his counterparts in Orangeburg, Calhoun, Clarendon, and Sumter Counties. “Pendy,” as he is known by his friends and coworkers, was born, and raised in Orangeburg County where he began his career in a volunteer [...]
We are excited to share with you that Micheal Cardaronella, of the Charleston County Consolidated 911 Center, has joined our Lowcountry 911 Telecommunicator Support Team as a peer support member. Micheal is currently the Peer Support Coordinator for the CDC and brings seven years of experience as a peer member to our Team. She was [...]
Tonight, we are proud to share with you that Ashley Taylor, our 911 Telecommunicator Support Team Coordinator in Berkeley County has been named the Operations Supervisor for the Berkeley County 911 Center. Ashley has been a member of our Lowcountry 911 Telecommunicator Support Team since its’ inception in 2018 and it is exciting that she [...]
Come join us for some great fellowship! All are welcome to attend. Firefighters, EMS personnel, law enforcement officers, 911 telecommunicators, active duty, former or retirees, military personnel and family members. We would really like to see you!
We are excited to share with you that the Lowcountry Firefighter Support Team has developed a partnership with our North Carolina counterparts, the First Responders Peer Support Network, in Eastern North Carolina. Primarily, we will share response resources and training opportunities in areas close to the state line from either side. The First Responders Peer [...]
We were pleased to have the Myrtle Beach Fire Department’s Recruit Class join us today in Charleston. They received our Behavioral Health Awareness training presentation that included an explanation of our program, its origin, and how it has developed in its fifteen-year history. Our discussion included how they can access peer support assistance from us [...]
This has been a busy week for us as our Pee Dee Coordinator Lee Hopkins was at West Florence Fire Department on Tuesday night providing behavioral health awareness training and support to their members while our Executive Director Gerald Mishoe visited Beaufort County to provide Disaster Psychology training to their county Citizens Emergency Response Team [...]
Our three Teams are honored to be representing our emergency service personnel and their families throughout our community. As most of our Team members are either active duty or retired, we bring the pride and dedication to our mission first learned on a fire engine, a medic unit, or in a 911 center. We show [...]
Come join us! All are welcome!
Congratulations to our own Melissa Brown-Rabon (second from right) for being named the Employee of the Year this morning for Horry County Fire Rescue. Melissa is our EMS Support Team's Coordinator for Horry County and a huge part of what we do! Congratulations also go out to Amy Strauss of HCFR who shared the award [...]
So thankful of our counterparts and friends of the First Responders Peer Support Network in North Carolina led by Eric Stephenson and his therapy dog, Clyde. They joined others on Wednesday night to help first responders in Davis, North Carolina after the tragic plane crash this past Sunday that resulted in the loss of [...]
After taking off two months due to the holidays and sickness, we are excited to be resuming our First Responder Support Group meeting on Thursday, February 10th, at 7:00 p.m., at the Support Team office located at 6390 Dorchester Road in North Charleston. We will have food and refreshments for all. All are [...]
The past three weeks have been especially troubling for our first responders. As I think about all that has transpired in that brief time, it is amazing to witness the resiliency of those who serve our communities. It is difficult enough to maneuver the continuing effects of the pandemic but, this week has had multiple [...]
This morning, I was pleased to attend the monthly Coastal Crisis Chaplaincy breakfast to share our mission with their members. We have learned over the years that in order to take care of you properly, we need to be sure to take care of ourselves. We are blessed to count the men and women of [...]
Savannah Wall has been a member of our Team for the last seven years. She came to us looking for an apprenticeship when she was in her bachelor’s program. She joined us to provide administrative experience as well as any other duties assigned to her. Her dream was to work with us and to continue [...]
We are pleased to welcome Helen Cotton, MSW, to our Team. She is currently working as a clinician in the Hero Program Mental Health Professional program responsible for offering services to first responders, veterans, healthcare workers, and teachers in the SCDMH Aiken County Mental Health Center in the western part of our state. Helen graduated [...]
On January 11, 2022, we were honored to be invited to the Mt. Pleasant Town Council meeting where we were presented a check in the amount of $ 2,875.00 by Chief Mike Mixon of the Mount Pleasant Fire Department. This check represented money raised in November at their First Annual Firefighter and Police Ball. The [...]
Several months ago, I was contacted by Chief Charles Lamoreaux of the St. Andrews Fire Department. He asked if I knew George Wolfe. George and I first worked together at St. Andrews back in 1970. Chief Lamoreaux told me that George’s wife, Rosa, was trying to reach me. She had asked him to relay her [...]
Wishing everyone a safe and Happy New Year! 2021 has been a rollercoaster to say the least, but due to all of you who have supported us and our emergency services families, we thank you! Special thanks to our 85 peer team members and 24 clinicians who have worked diligently to help others all across [...]
On November 13th, our Team was honored as the First Responder Group of the Night by the South Carolina Stingrays for our service to the community. We also joined the Stingrays in remembering our own heroes, the Charleston 9. The Stingrays held an online auction during the game where they featured nine hockey jerseys with [...]
We were contacted on December 16th by the folks at the Phillips Shoe Store in the South Windermere Shopping Center in Charleston. The staff raised money during the month to support local first responders and their families during the holidays. They used the funds raised to purchase Publix gift cards. They asked us to [...]
Our Team thrives on the amazing people who support us every day. We are humbled by the support we receive from so any in our community. Today was no different as we received help from one of those friends who came to our aid. Last Friday, while traveling with our Road Runner Mack to the [...]
This past Saturday, while traveling through Dorchester County on Highway 61 near Givhans, we encountered a motor vehicle accident that had just happened. It involved a large SUV and a small pickup truck hitting head-on. Other than spectators, there was no one on scene yet. David Reindollar and I were traveling with our wives and [...]
Tonight, we were honored to attend the Point’s Annual Grants Awards Meeting where we received their contribution of $ 3,200.00 to support our Team and its’ programs in 2022. The exciting part of the meeting was being recognized for our work along with other deserving non-profits in our community. It is such a humbling experience [...]
On Saturday, December 11th, we attended the annual North Charleston Fire Department’s Promotion and Awards Ceremony. It was a pleasure to witness the accomplishments of so many of our friends, whether through promotion or retirement, and to see others receive awards for exemplarily service and their life-saving efforts. We could not help but to be [...]
Back in September, we were honored to be the recognized as the “First Responder Organization of the Night” at the Myrtle Beach Pelicans baseball game. It was an exciting night with good friends, food, and the excitement of the game. The 1-800-BoardUp company in Myrtle Beach was our sponsor for the event and we [...]
In the New Year, we will be featuring our Team members who give of their time and talent to carry our mission forward. We are fortunate to now have eighty-six members of our peer support team and twenty-four behavioral health clinicians who provide support and love for our first responders and their families. Many of [...]
This past Friday, we took a trip to be with the Horry County Fire Rescue recruit training class currently underway in Conway. It was especially pleasing to see sixty-three new members of HCFR as they go through their initial training before becoming full-fledged members of the department. Normally, HCFR brings their recruit class to Charleston [...]
We are proud tonight to congratulate two people who are an important part of our Team for their recent accomplishments. Jared Hershberger, our Charleston EMS Team Coordinator has been promoted to Assistant Chief for Charleston County EMS. Jared came to our Lowcountry EMS Support Team in 2017 when he joined many others to be trained [...]
Tonight, we were presented a check in the amount of $ 1,407.50 by the Fire & Iron Station 28 Motorcycle Club representing money raised during their Charleston 9 Memorial Poker Run in September. We are thankful for the brothers and sisters of Station 28 as they help us continue our mission of taking care of [...]
In recent weeks, you have seen several photos of our latest team vehicle. The Chevrolet Tahoe was formerly a Chief’s car in the City of Charleston Fire Department and served the CFD for many years. Our Team is fortunate to be able to have these vehicles donated to us to continue their service to our [...]
Come join us on Thursday, November 11th, for our monthly First Responder Support Group Meeting. All are welcome, active duty, former or retired. Fire Service, Law Enforcement, EMS, 911 Telecommunicators, Corrections officers, Military, Chaplains and family members are welcome to attend as well. We hope to see you there!
Our Team is proud to announce the scheduling of our 5th Annual Emergency Services Behavioral Health Summit! Registration will open after the holidays. We wanted to give you a chance to put it on your calendar and on your conference schedules. Our Team works hard to improve this Summit each year. We promise [...]
On Saturday, November 13th, our Team will be featured as the Non-Profit of the Night at the Stingrays Hockey game at North Charleston Coliseum. We will honor the Charleston Nine as a part of the program to always “Never Forget”. There will be an auction of jerseys with the names of the Charleston Nine displayed [...]
On Friday, October 15th, we hosted our Team's 8th Annual Golf Tournament to support our mission at the Summerville Country Club’s Miler Course. We were blessed to have good weather and a great turnout of friends who made the day successful. Thank you to our players as we recorded our first sellout in the history [...]
Dorchester County EMS will host the Dorchester Regional EMS Conference on November 11, 2021 at the Cambria Hotel in Summerville, South Carolina. Outstanding instructors on multiple subjects will be a part of the day. Registration is $ 10.00 per person. Take advantage of this great opportunity to network with all emergency services personnel in attendance. [...]
Come join us in Jacksonville, Florida on October 26th for the 3rd Annual "Bearing the Burden" Summit being presented by the First Responder Project. Special guest will be our friend and brother, Travis Howze. Come join us and experience this informative event! Many of our Team will be in attendance and we look [...]
Times are difficult for us all right now. COVID, multiple exposures while on and off duty, quarantines, virtual learning for our children, forced overtime, mandatory vaccinations, financial stress, depression, anxiety, short staffing, gas prices, and a list of other maladies and problems caused by our present world situation are bringing many of us [...]
On September 8th, we participated in training with members of the Charleston Fire Department as Amanda Custer of The Middle Path in Knoxville, Tennessee presented her new program “MindResponse.” The program is based on the use of Dialectic Behavioral Therapy (DBT) as a method of learning mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance. While [...]
We are pleased to share that Christian, ”Chrissi”, Worrell of Kingstree has joined our Lowcountry Telecommunicator Support Team. Chrissi was previously employed at the Williamsburg County 911 Center and is currently employed as a Telecommunicator with the Summerville Police 911 Center. Chrissi is originally from Sumter where her family still lives. She moved to Kingstree [...]
Tonight, we are asking of prayers for Battalion Chief Bryan Kleskie, Retired, of the Charleston Fire Department. Bryan has suffered a major heart attack and is scheduled for quadruple by-pass surgery on Wednesday at Asheville’s Mission Hospital in North Carolina. Bryan and his wife, Kathy, moved to their log cabin in the mountains after his [...]
We were pleased this past week to provide training to the City of Goose Creek Fire Department Recruit Class. The recruits finished their initial training this week and are now taking their places in the department. Congratulations to each of them as they continue to grow in their careers. Our hats are off to the [...]
Happy 37th Anniversary to our wonderful friends, teammates, and Savannah River Region Coordinators, Andy and Teresa Hogg! You are amazing people who bring so much to our Team, and to our first responders, and their families. We are blessed to have you in our lives!
In July, we traveled to the Burton Fire District in Beaufort County to present two of our behavioral health programs “Are You Really Taking Care of Yourself” and “Step Up and Step Out” to all three shifts. By dividing each shift, we were able to have a morning class for half the shift and an [...]
Thomas Walsh MSW LISW-CP/s has been working in the field of mental health for over 25 years. Over the course of his career, Mr. Walsh has been licensed in three States and served the field of healthcare in a variety of capacities, including private, public, for-profit, and not-for-profit, and in a combination of direct care, [...]
We are proud tonight to join others in congratulating Melissa Brown-Rabon of Horry County Fire EMS for receiving the annual “Teddy Griffith Award for EMS Excellence” during the department’s awards banquet on Thursday night of this week. Melissa has been a member of the department since 1996 and is our Lowcountry EMS Support Team’s Coordinator [...]
As seen on a Sussex Directories Inc site Please help us welcome Ashton Sullivan, LPC, ATR to our list of clinicians on our Team who serve our emergency services personnel throughout the Lowcountry. Ashton was associated with us before the Covid pandemic as a member of the Whole Health team in Bluffton and [...]
This has been such an exciting week for our Team, and we have much to share later this weekend. But tonight, we are excited to announce that our teammate, Patsy Helzer, has accepted a position with Nucor Steel as a Paramedic Safety Coordinator. Patsy has left her former position as a Paramedic with Dorchester County [...]
We are proud to share with you that Allyson Coleman, better known as “Ally,” in our world, has joined our Team. Ally has served in many different roles during her career and becoming a member of our Team is her latest endeavor. She began her career in 2015 as a volunteer firefighter for Dorchester County [...]
Suicide is a subject that we find difficult to discuss. Many of us have been touched by the tragedy of having someone take their own life. Whether it is a close friend, a relative, or a co-worker, suicide can cause great pain to all those affected. Who better to help than those of us who [...]
We are proud to serve with our Team members who give of their time to provide behavioral health support and assistance to our emergency services personnel and their families in their communities. All our Team members are members of fire departments, EMS systems, and 911 Centers in their home communities and work tirelessly to serve [...]
Good things continue to happen for our Team! We are pleased to announce that Assistant Chief Raymond Lloyd, Charleston Fire Department, Retired, has joined our Team as a member of our Board of Directors. Chief Lloyd brings 44 years of experience in the Fire Service to our Board and represents the fourth of five generations [...]
It is with great pleasure that we introduce our newest Team member, Ashley Baker. Ashley is currently a Firefighter/EMT with the Georgetown County Fire Department. She began her fire service career in the Lee Center, New York Fire Department where she volunteered for ten years before moving to South Carolina and joining the Georgetown [...]
Our Team thrives because of the amazing people who serve our emergency services personnel and their families. Today, we are excited to share that Dale and Jessica (Jess) Hewitt of Georgetown have joined our ranks. Dale is a nineteen-year veteran of the Fire Service and currently serves as a Lieutenant/EMT for the Georgetown County Fire [...]
Today, we hosted Myrtle Beach Fire Department's Recruit Class # 33 as a part of their training. We started the morning off with our "Are You Really Taking Care of Yourself" Behavioral Health Awareness Program, followed by a tour of the North Charleston American LaFrance Fire Museum. After lunch, we toured the Charleston 9 Memorial [...]
We are pleased to share that we have received approval for participants to receive 5.25 CEU contact hours for taking part in our 2021 Emergency Services Behavioral Health Summit being held in Charleston on July 14, 2021. Come join us for an exciting day of learning and networking with amazing speakers and exhibitors! You can [...]
Preparation and planning are in full swing for our Summit coming up on July 14, 2021. We hope you will plan to join us for what we promise will be a wonderful experience. We have a full slate of amazing speakers, great exhibitors, interesting displays, good food, including lunch, and great networking opportunities. Come join [...]
We are pleased to share the news that Diane Woods, formerly of the Tega Cay Fire Department in York County has joined our Team where she will serve with our other Grand Strand region team members. Diane and her husband, Les, also a longtime Fire Service member, have retired to North Myrtle Beach and we [...]
We are excited to share that with three months to go until our event, we have over 100 people to date who have registered for our 2021 Emergency Services Behavioral Health Summit on July 14, 2021 here in Charleston. We also have twelve vendors/exhibitors registered to date that will display their programs and/or products related [...]
2021 Emergency Services Behavioral Health Summit Proudly Welcomes Dr. Yulia Gavrilova [...]
Integrated Care for First Responders: Clinical, Medical, and Neuroscience Dr. Beau Nelson, DBH, LCSW Dr. Nelson is the Chief Clinical Officer and works with the Neurosciences Department at FHE Health and the Shatterproof program for First Responders in Deerfield Beach, Florida. He directs all programs and clinical staff, and administratively [...]
Happy National 911 Telecommunicators Week to all our brothers and sisters in 911 Centers everywhere! We are proud to call you our teammates and thank you for your dedication to duty. Our community, its’ citizens and all of our emergency services personnel are safer because you are in our lives!
Today was another amazing day for our Team! The Southern Roots Smokehouse on East Montague in North Charleston hosted a great fundraiser for us to raise money to provide special training to our peer team members. Special thanks to Matt Hester and all his folks for making us welcome. We are already looking forward to [...]
Today, we visited the Charleston Fire Department Recruit Class to present our Behavioral Health Awareness program. This class is provided to educate them on the resources our program provides to them and their families. We appreciate their making us feel welcome and we are excited for them as they will graduate next Friday, April 16th, [...]
"Still Riding" We are pleased to share that Dr. David Griffin will be one of our featured speakers at our Emergency Services Behavioral Health Summit being held in Charleston on July 14, 2021. David Griffin is a Battalion Chief and Shift Commander in the Charleston, South Carolina Fire Department. He was the operator of [...]
On July 14, 2021, Dominique Cooper will be speaking on the aftermath of the suicide of her sixteen-year-old son. Suicide does not just affect the family; it affects the entire community. Dom has taken her son's story public to help break the stigma of suicide. She remembers the reaction of the emergency [...]
“Straight Talk’’ Shifting Our Attention! [...]
We have completed our lineup of speakers for our Emergency Services Behavioral Health Summit on July 14th. Stay tuned as we will continue to introduce them here in the coming weeks leading up to July. You don't want to miss an opportunity to spend the day with these amazing folks! Registration for attendees and exhibitors [...]
We have completed our lineup of speakers for our Emergency Services Behavioral Health Summit on July 14th. Stay tuned as we will continue to introduce them here in the coming weeks leading up to July. You don't want to miss an opportunity to spend the day with these amazing folks! Registration for attendees and exhibitors [...]
The Charleston Memorial Stair Climb will be on Saturday, June 19, 2021. Registration will begin at 7:00 a.m. and conclude at 8:00 a.m. An opening ceremony will take place at 8:15 a.m. and the first climbers will begin climbing at 8:46 a.m. Four Hundred and Twelve (412) First Responders will be able to register - [...]
Come out and join us on Sunday, April 11th at Southern Roots Smokehouse in North Charleston to support our fundraiser to provide training for peer team members. Event hours are 11:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Great food, music, raffles prizes, and much more!
Most of you know of our three old Mack fire trucks that are the centerpieces for our community outreach programs. Whether it is a birthday party, a parade, a wedding, supporting other causes such as the American Lung Association, the Autism Association, or many other great causes, our old buggies answer the call. We also [...]
Our next "Out of the Ashes" Bible Study and Life Group meeting will be held on Monday, March 15th, beginning at 7:00 p.m., at our headquarters office located at 6390 Dorchester Road in North Charleston. This meeting, led by our Team Chaplain Bill Streuber, has become a special time to get together to support [...]
"Success on the Homefront" Eric and Debra Stephenson, from the Eastern Coast of North Carolina, are husband and wife and have served in Fire/EMS Services for a combined total of 54 years. They will be featured speakers at our 2021 Emergency Services Behavioral Health Summit being held in Charleston, South Carolina on July 15, 2021. [...]
Join us in welcoming Dale Hewitt of the Georgetown County Fire EMS Department as the newest member of our Team. Dale is a nineteen-year veteran of the Fire Service. His career includes time as a volunteer for both Georgetown County and Georgetown City before joining the City department as a paid firefighter in 2004. In [...]
Each week, between now and our Emergency Services Behavioral Health Summit on July 15th, we will feature one of our guest speakers to introduce them to all of you. Come join us on July 15th for an exciting and informative Summit. Register now on the home page of this website. [...]
We spent some important time today with members of the new Firefighter 1 Class that just started in Berkeley County. Excited to see firefighters from Alvin, Awendaw, Pimlico, Pine Ridge, and Pineville-Russellville Fire Departments. It was a special day as I shared the front of the room with Ashley Taylor, the Training Coordinator for Berkeley [...]
We are pleased to announce that Alisha Smith, the Training Coordinator for the Florence County 911 Center, has been selected to become our Pee Dee Region Coordinator for our Lowcountry 911 Telecommunicator Support Team. Alisha began her career with Florence County 911 in March of 2009 as a Telecommunicator before being named the Training Coordinator [...]
A Celebration of Life for Retired North Charleston Fire Department Battalion Chief Ronald E. Rourk will be held on Saturday, February 20, 2021, at the North Charleston Athletic Center located at 5794 Casper Padgett Way in North Charleston. Full fire department honors will be provided by the North Charleston Fire Department’s Honor Guard. Visitation with [...]
Our Savannah River Region Coordinator Andy Hogg and his daughter Andi, traveled to Aiken today to present the Aiken County 911 Center with weighted blankets for their telecommunicators. Our Team is pleased to provide them to help their dispatchers during stressful times at the console. Andy is the Fire Chief of the Long Branch [...]
There are rumors abound that our main offices located on Dorchester Road in North Charleston will be closing requiring us to find a new home. We believe that nothing positive comes out of the rumor mill so please let us tell you what we know now. The property where old North Charleston Station 5 sits [...]
My friends, I really need to lean on all of you tonight. Throughout my Fire Service career, the term “brotherhood” has always meant so much to me. Whether sitting around a kitchen table in the firehouse, teaching about it in a classroom, or appreciating it when pinned to the floor with flames over our heads, [...]
Friends, how are you? We know that many of you are struggling with family problems, illness, alcohol abuse, problems at work, not sleeping, reliving bad calls that bring anxiety and depression, all amid the craziness of last year with the New Year not settling yet. It's enough to keep us all in a bad place. [...]
We are pleased to share that Paul Davis Restoration & Remodeling Company of Greater Charleston has become a corporate sponsor of our Team. The company is part of a national franchise organization that provides services to repair and clean up damage to commercial, residential and institutional properties from fire, water, storm, mold or other disasters. Paul [...]