Today was another special day for our Team as ten of us traveled to Darlington County and the Equine Intervention, LLC farm. The purpose of our visit was to receive training that will enhance our ability to provide services to our emergency services personnel and their families. Specifically, we were introduced to the use of [...]
This morning David Reindollar and Gerald Mishoe of our Team participated in the Fire Chief’s Medical School 2018 at Roper Hospital. The program was offered to provide information to participants on NFPA 1582. Subjects included “Preventative Cardiology for the Fire Service”, “Cancer in The Fire Service, What the Research is Telling Us”, “Firehouse Workouts: [...]
Today we began to renew and strengthen our relationship with the Charleston Fire Department by providing information on our Team and its services to their newest recruit class. Five of these men will join their assigned companies this weekend while the remaining eight will complete their EMT training before joining the ranks of the CFD. [...]
We are pleased to share our new association with Equine Intervention LLC of Hartsville, South Carolina and Lowcountry Equine-Assisted Psychology (L.E.A.P.) here in the Lowcountry on Wadmalaw Island. Both organizations bring a new dimension to behavioral health care for our emergency services personnel and their families by using horses in a therapeutic setting to ease [...]
Come join us for an in-depth discussion of emergency services behavioral health programs and services being provided for our first responders in South Carolina. Participants in this summit will include members from each discipline of emergency services; Fire, EMS, Law Enforcement, and 911 telecommunications, peer team members, clinicians, program administrators, chaplains, and other behavioral health [...]
Today, we attended the South Carolina Public Safety Chaplains’ Association Spring Training at North Charleston City Hall. The theme of today’s meeting was the different types of peer support available to the emergency services personnel in our State. Eric Skidmore of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Assistance Program (LEAP) spoke on their team for law [...]
Today, we attended a quarterly training event for sponsored by the Lowcountry EMS Support Team, the Lowcountry Firefighter Support Team and the state F.A.S.T. Team at the Lowcountry Regional EMS office in Walterboro. The class was presented by our Lowcountry EMS Support Team Coordinator Angie Stewart of Beaufort County EMS. Angie came “loaded for [...]
The South Carolina State Firefighters' Association F.A.S.T. Team will be offering their Peer Training program in three different locations around the state in April and May. We recommend this program for anyone interested in being a part of the emergency services behavioral health program in our State. This program also meets the minimum requirements [...]
We are excited that our new 911 Telecommunicators Support Team is coming together. Many of you participated in the first meeting this week and others have since shown an interest in being a part of this new program. While the logo pictured here is not the finished product, it does represent the Team for now. [...]
It is always a pleasure to have recruit classes visit us in Charleston and today was no different. This morning, we hosted the Horry County Fire Department's Recruit Class for our "Finding Balance" program in our classroom, enjoyed lunch with them, accompanied them to the North Charleston American LaFrance Fire Museum, and then gave them [...]
Our Team is always working to improve our outreach to all our emergency services personnel and, to that end, we are pleased to announce that we are forming a new section in our Team specifically to assist 911 telecommunicators. We are blessed to already have many Team members who work in different 911 centers and [...]
The South Carolina Public Safety Chaplain's Association will hold their Spring Training Seminar in North Charleston on Tuesday, April 24, 2018. The seminar begins at 9:00 a.m., in the third floor Council Chambers of North Charleston City Hall located at 2500 City Hall Drive in North Charleston. Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. Lunch will be [...]
Suicide is a subject that we find difficult to discuss. Nearly all 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 [...]
Today, our Team Leader, David Reindollar, and Lee Hopkins, our Pee Dee Region Coordinator, traveled up to Lancaster County, South Carolina to present our Team’s “Step Up & Step Out” Suicide Awareness and Prevention program to 28 personnel of the Lancaster County Public Safety 911 Center. David and Lee also shared information on online resources [...]
We were pleased today to host the Bluffton Fire Department’s Recruit Class. Twenty-one recruits and BTFD Training Captain Randy Hunter made the trip to Charleston to spend the day with us. We started at our Team’s classroom with State F.A.S.T. Coordinator Patti Graham discussing the benefits offered by the SC State Firefighters’ Association. Our Team [...]
Thanks to the members of the Pine Ridge Fire Department for letting me come to your training tonight. A couple of more trips and I may figure out that Smart board! Enjoyed seeing all of you and sharing the Center for Firefighter Behavioral Health information and our “Step Up and Step Out” program with [...]
Today, we visited with our brothers of the Summerville Fire Department as they went through R.I.T. training at their Training Center. The challenges of the maze and the “tangle box” can wear on the nerves of the best of us. I can tell you that this training, as difficult as it is, has saved lives [...]
The Lowcountry EMS Support Team will hold its quarterly training on Saturday, April 14th, 2018, beginning at 1:00 p.m., at the Lowcountry Regional EMS Office located at 237 Oakland Drive in Walterboro. The training is open to all EMS and Firefighter Support Team members, other first responders and interested people. The theme of [...]
Special thanks to Angie Jackson of the Post & Courier for her work and to Gene and Sue Ann Avin for sharing Emily's story. Please let us know if you would like for us to share the "Step Up & Step Out" program with your organization. It is available in a 90 minute classroom presentation. [...]
The Lower State Firefighters' Association meeting will be held Monday, February 19, 2018, at the Bamberg Civic Center, 2477 Main Hwy, Bamberg, SC 29003. Vendors will set up at 6:00 p.m. and the meal and meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. Please be reminded that 2017-2018 membership dues are due. For any questions, call [...]
Today, we traveled to Walterboro in support of the Peer Team training program being conducted by the S.C. F.A.S.T. Team at the Lowcountry Regional EMS Council office. Special thanks to all who attended as students and instructors and to our own Lowcountry EMS Support Team Coordinator Angie Stewart for her work in putting this class [...]
Today, we presented information about our Team to the North Charleston Fire Department Recruit class as they wind down their training and get ready to take their places in the fire house. David Reindollar and Tim Hiott delivered our message and hopefully instilled in them a sense of pride and honor as they become firefighters. [...]
This past Tuesday we traveled to South Lynches Fire Department in Lake City where we participated in a Facebook Live program on SCOnfire.com to talk about our "Step Up & Step Out" program and how suicide affects family, friends, coworkers, and others who survive the loss of someone in our lives. On Wednesday, we presented our new [...]
The S.C. First Responder Assistance Team (F.A.S.T.) will be offering their Peer Team Training Program on Friday, February 9th and Saturday, February 10, 2018 at the Lowcountry Regional EMS Office in Walterboro, South Carolina. This class will provide participants with the training requirement to apply to be a member of the F.A.S.T. Team and the [...]
The monthly meeting of the Lowcountry EMS Support Team will be held on Tuesday, January 16th, 2018, beginning at 6:00 p.m., at the Team offices located at 6390 Dorchester Road in North Charleston. All members are urged to attend as we will be continuing to work on our Team SOG's as well as setting our goals [...]
The monthly meeting of the Lowcountry Firefighter Support Team will be held on Tuesday, January 9th, 2018, beginning at 7:00 p.m., at the Team offices located at 6390 Dorchester Road in North Charleston. All members are urged to attend as we will be setting our goals for the New Year.
The S.C. First Responder Assistance Team (F.A.S.T.) will be offering their Peer Team Training Program on Friday, February 9th and Saturday, February 10, 2018 at the Lowcountry Regional EMS Office in Walterboro, South Carolina. This class will provide participants with the training requirement to apply to be a member of the F.A.S.T. Team and the [...]
Suicide Awareness & Prevention Seminar South Lynches Fire Department Training Center 115 Industrial Boulevard Lake City, South Carolina [...]
In 2018, we are pleased to announce the offering of our "Step Up & Step Out" Suicide Prevention program with the initial dates and times to be announced before the New Year. Suicide is a subject that we find difficult to discuss. Many of us have been touched by the tragedy of having someone take [...]
Thanks to our Dorchester County EMS friends who attended their in-service training tonight where we presented our “Are You Really Taking Care of Yourselves?” behavioral health awareness training. This was our second class of four to be done this month with hopes of reaching their entire roster and recruiting some of their folks to [...]
Today was an exciting day as we began our behavioral health awareness training with our friends of the Dorchester County EMS. This training, to be presented during their in-service training sessions in November, will provide all members with knowledge to help them take better care of themselves and each other during difficult times in their [...]
Lee Hopkins and I will soon be following up on our recent “Step Up & Step Out” Suicide Prevention initiative with another Facebook Live session. We will be sure to give you notice of the time and date so you can join us. Also, our wristbands should be in this week and we’ll make those [...]
The last two days have been a most rewarding experience as our Team presented its’ Peer Team Training program in the Goose Creek City Fire Department’s training room located in their new headquarters fire station. First, it is an amazing facility and by far a state-of-the-art classroom. Our sincere gratitude goes to Chief Steve Chapman [...]
Come join members of the Lowcountry Firefighter Support Team as we bring together the major components of our programs on behavioral health to include stress management in your personal and professional life, “file folder” management, problems with family dynamics, and finding the balance to manage them all. This class is designed to be give those [...]
We are just a month away until our Peer Team Training Class in Berkeley County. The class, to be held on October 21 and 22, 2017, will be held at the new Goose Creek City Fire Department Headquarters in their state-of-the-art training room. We’re pulling out all the stops to make this class one of [...]
This past Wednesday night, we held our very first joint meeting of our firefighter support team and our new EMS support team. Our community is blessed with many wonderful members of the Fire Service, EMS and our 911 dispatch centers, teamed with our clinicians, who have come together to provide emotional support and behavioral health [...]
The Center for Firefighter Behavioral Health at the Medical University of South Carolina announced last week that they have received word that FEMA approved their proposal to develop resources for firefighter peers and family members. After a critical incident, 20% of firefighters look to peers for support; 75% turn to spouses and family members. It is [...]
Our Team is pleased to share that we will be presenting our Behavioral Health Awareness training to our Dorchester County EMS friends in November during their monthly in-service training. This training is designed to open a dialogue with the participants to facing the stresses of not only the difficult calls to which they respond but [...]
ARE YOU REALLY TAKING CARE OF YOURSELVES? A question often asked but seldom answered in our daily lives. Come join members of the Lowcountry Firefighter Support Team as we bring together the major components of our programs on behavioral health to include stress management in your personal and professional life, “file folder” management, problems with [...]
Are you interested in making a difference in the lives of your fellow firefighters and EMT/paramedics? Come train with us to be a Peer Counselor in your department or as a member of our Team. The Lowcountry Firefighter Support Team has secured dates for our next Peer Team training! The classes will be held in [...]
The next monthly meeting of the Lowcountry Firefighter Support Team will be held next Tuesday, May 16th, beginning at 6:30 p.m., at North Charleston Fire Station 5 across the street from our Team offices. All members are urged to attend. Any other folks who would like to learn about the Team are invited to join [...]
What an amazing ending to the week as we completed our very first EMS Peer Team Training in the Lowcountry. We are excited to now have thirteen members of Charleston County EMS, two members of Beaufort County EMS, one member of Dorchester County EMS, two members of our Lowcountry Firefighter Support Team and one member [...]
Today was a splendid day as we began our F.A.S.T. Team Peer Training Program with paramedics/EMTs from Charleston, Dorchester and Beaufort counties. We are excited to have them joining the mission of "taking care of our own". Friday will be day two and promises to be another exciting day! Special thanks to Mike Medeiros of [...]
Members of our Team were honored to attend the "Firefighter Down" seminar presented on Monday night at the Berkeley County Fire Training Facility. There were nearly 100 firefighters in attendance as this program, sponsored by the Berkeley County Fire Training Association, was presented by Chief Tim Stephenson and Former Asst. Chief Tom Jergensmeyer of the [...]
This past Wednesday, we were pleased to once again host the Myrtle Beach Fire Department's Recruit Class for the fourth year. After an early morning drive, they joined us at our team office where we presented the "Behavioral Health Awareness class to them. Afterwards, we accompanied them to the North Charleston American LaFrance Fire Museum [...]
We spent several hours last Thursday with the North Charleston Recruit Class providing Behavioral Health Awareness training. We believe that making this a part of their early training will prepare them to become firefighters. Thanks to team members Tim Hiott and David Reindollar for their assistance with the class.
Another great day with our statewide Firefighter Assistance and Support Team (F.A.S.T.) in Columbia. Special thanks to our Regional Coordinators Matt Bernacchi of our Grand Strand Region and Bryan Riebe of our Upstate Region for great presentations and Tatiana Davidson and Bryan Bunnell of the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston for sharing of [...]
We are excited to continue to move into a new era for our Team as we prepare to present two separate Peer Team training programs for Charleston County EMS. We have tentatively set one for the last week of April and the second one for the first week in May. These programs will follow our [...]
This week, our Team completed the last of four behavioral health awareness training classes that reached a total of 163 of Charleston County’s EMS personnel. We are excited to be off to a good start as they develop their agency’s Peer Team. We will provide additional training for their new team in January and look [...]
Our Team is beyond excited to share with you all that in November we are beginning a new partnership with Charleston County EMS to provide behavioral health training and support to them. This training, with all CCEMS personnel, will follow with a Peer Team training program in January where we will assist them in developing [...]
Great meeting of the State F.A.S.T. Team today at the SC Fire Academy. Fifty-seven (57) team members in attendance for the largest turnout since the inception of the Team. The Lowcountry region was well represented. Pictured here is the Lowcountry gang loading up for the trip. Thanks to Chief Ben Waring and our Pine Ridge [...]
A meeting of the Lowcountry Region of the S.C. Firefighter Assistance and Support Team (F.A.S.T.) will be held on Tuesday, May 31, 2016 beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Lowcountry Firefighter Support Team office located at 6390 Dorchester Road in North Charleston. All members are invited to attend.
On March 31, 2016, we completed our Peer Training Class here in North Charleston with twenty new members now in a position to join our F.A.S.T./Lowcountry teams. Special thanks to Chief Bulanow of the NCFD, Chief Driggers of the NCPD, Tracy Grantham of S.A.V.E., Amanda Custer of the First Responder Support Team, Chris Wells of [...]
We are pleased to share that several of our Team members have completed the Pastoral Crisis Intervention program from the International Critical Incident Stress Management Foundation. Pictured here are Team members Gerald Mishoe, Tim Hiott and John David Reindollar receiving their certificates from their instructors Chaplains Rich Robinson and Bill Youngblood of the Coastal Crisis [...]
The South Carolina State Firefighters’ Association’s F.A.S.T. Team will be presenting their Peer Training Class hosted by the North Charleston Fire Department and the Lowcountry Firefighter Support Team on March 28th and 31st, 2016. The class will begin at 8:00 a.m. and will conclude at 5:00 p.m. each day. This class will prepare participants to [...]
This past Friday evening, we traveled to Society Hill, South Carolina to present the “Living and Loving with a Firefighter” program to Darlington County firefighters and their spouses. We were treated to a wonderful dinner before our presentation in the lodge at Moree’s Sportman’s Retreat on the Pee Dee River with more than forty people [...]
The 3rd Annual Lowcountry Fire & EMS Weekend is scheduled for November 6-8, 2015 in Walterboro, South Carolina. This exciting training program is being presented by Colleton County Fire Rescue and will be provide many choices of hands-on and classroom training led by some of the finest instructors in the business. Don't miss a chance [...]
The next Lowcountry Firefighter Support Team meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 21, 2015 beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the Team offices located at 6390 Dorchester Road in North Charleston. All team members are asked to attend.
The next meeting of the South Carolina State Firefighters Association F.A.S.T. Team will be held on Thursday, August 27, 2015, beginning at 10:00 a.m., in the Denny Auditorium at the South Carolina Fire Academy. All Current F.A.S.T. Team members and those with interest in joining the Team are invited to attend.
The South Carolina Firefighter Assistance and Support Team (F.A.S.T.) is pleased to offer a new program specifically for firefighter spouses and significant others entitled “Loving and Living with a Firefighter”. On Wednesday, June 10th, at 2:00 p.m., Lee Hopkins, our Midlands F.A.S.T. coordinator and his wife April, will present this program as part of the [...]
The next SC Firefighter Assistance and Support Team Peer Training is being offered during at the Annual South Carolina State Firefighters Association’s Fire Rescue Conference in Myrtle Beach. The two day class will be held on Tuesday, June 9th and Wednesday, June 10th at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. This two-day class will prepare firefighters [...]
Ladies, we need your help. Our Team is presently developing a new training program to address the dynamics of living in a Fire Service family. We expect to have this program completed in the very near future to be offered to all of you. We are asking that you assist us by sharing some of [...]
We are pleased to share that we have added two new training programs that can be provided to our firefighters and our other first responders upon request. The first, “Understanding Grief” is designed to provide participants with information concerning the causes and stages of grief and the tools to develop more effective communication strategies to [...]
Our Friends of the Coastal Crisis Chaplaincy will be presenting the Pastoral Crisis Intervention Program on March 11-13, 2015 in North Charleston, Several of our Team members have taken this course and we believe it to be a very worthwhile class in preparing to carry out our mission. It is being held here in North [...]
We will be joining other members of our statewide F.A.S.T. Team in the Burton Fire District down in Beaufort County to present our Peer Training Program on Thursday and Friday, February 12th and 13th. We still have openings in the class and invite any interested fire or EMS personnel to join us. Membership on the [...]
The South Carolina State Firefighters Association’s F.A.S.T. Team will be presenting a Peer Training Class at the Burton Fire Department in Beaufort County on February 12th and 13th, 2015. This class will prepare participants to work in their departments to form their own peer teams and/or to become members of the statewide Firefighter Assistance and [...]
An organizational meeting of the Wives' F.A.S.T. Peer Team was held on Saturday. December 6th, at the Lowcountry Firefighter Support Team headquarters with seven wives in attendance. Gerald Mishoe, the LFST leader and the SC State Firefighters Association F.A.S.T. Team Lowcountry Coordinator, made a presentation on the FAST Team and the Wives' component. The "Finding [...]
Organizational meetings for those of you interested in helping form a statewide Wives’ Peer Team as a part of our Firefighter Assistance and Support Team (F.A.S.T.) are coming up soon! There will be three different dates available for you to attend and we will have additional dates after the holidays. The first three meetings are [...]
The SC State Firefighters Association’s Firefighter Assistance and Support Team (F.A.S.T.) is beginning a new initiative to form a Wives’ Peer Team in various locations around the state to train and enable wives to be peers to the wives and significant others of our firefighters/first responders in their time of need. This Wives’ Team would [...]
