County profile
Dorchester County, SC 15 departments
Fire department coverage, staffing, and EMS data for Dorchester County, part of South Carolina.
Department Types
Fire Departments in Dorchester County
| Department | Type | Personnel |
|---|---|---|
| CATTLE CREEK VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT Reevesville | volunteer | 12 |
| DORCHESTER VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT Dorchester | volunteer | 17 |
| GROVER RURAL FIRE DEPARTMENT Saint George | volunteer | 9 |
| HARLEYVILLE RURAL FIRE DEPARTMENT Harleyville | volunteer | 21 |
| INDIAN FIELD VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT Harleyville | volunteer | 12 |
| OLD FORTE FIRE DEPARTMENT Ridgeville | volunteer | 10 |
| OLD FORTE FIRE DEPARTMENT Summerville | other | 63 |
| OLD FORTE FIRE DEPARTMENT Ladson | volunteer | 63 |
| REEVESVILLE FIRE DEPARTMENT Reevesville | volunteer | 18 |
| RIDGEVILLE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT Ridgeville | volunteer | 14 |
| RIDGEVILLE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT Ridgeville · EMS | other | 14 |
| SAINT GEORGE FIRE DEPARTMENT Saint George | volunteer | 28 |
| SANDHILL VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT Ridgeville | volunteer | 16 |
| SUMMERVILLE FIRE AND RESCUE Summerville · EMS | other | — |
| SUMMERVILLE FIRE AND RESCUE Summerville · EMS | career | 83 |
What the Fire Coverage Data Means for Dorchester County, SC
Dorchester County reports 15 fire departments in the federal HIFLD registry, staffed by approximately 380 total personnel. The organizational breakdown matters because career, volunteer, and combination departments differ sharply in response time, funding, and training cadence: this county lists 1 career (paid), 11 volunteer, and 0 combination departments. 3 of these departments also provides Emergency Medical Services, meaning the same crews that arrive on a structure fire can often begin patient care on cardiac or trauma calls without waiting for a separate ambulance agency.
Benchmarking the county against its parent state highlights coverage gaps and strengths. South Carolina overall averages roughly 25 personnel per department across 689 departments. Dorchester County averages 25 personnel per department, 0% above the state mean. Heavier staffing usually signals higher population density, more commercial risk, or county-wide mutual aid consolidation. The state reports about 32,100 fires and 75 fire deaths annually, and 49% of its departments are volunteer-run.
Residents, property owners, and insurance agents can use this profile in several practical ways. A home inside a career or combination department's first-due area typically earns better ISO Public Protection Classification ratings and lower homeowners premiums than one served solely by a distant volunteer station. If the county is heavily volunteer, it is worth checking whether the nearest department has recent FEMA AFG or SAFER grants and whether mutual-aid agreements extend coverage during large incidents. Click into any department below to see its specific personnel count, station footprint, apparatus inventory, EMS status, and FEMA grant history. All figures come from HIFLD Open Data (FEMA/DHS) and USFA published fire statistics; small volunteer departments are sometimes underreported, so treat zero-value fields as missing data rather than absent services.
South Carolina Overview
- State departments
- 689
- Annual fires
- 32,100
- Volunteer %
- 49%
FAQ
How many fire departments are in Dorchester County, SC? ▼
Dorchester County, SC has 15 fire departments with available federal data. 1 career, 11 volunteer,
Does Dorchester County have EMS coverage? ▼
Yes — 3 departments in Dorchester County provide EMS services.
How many firefighters serve Dorchester County? ▼
Dorchester County has 380 total fire department personnel across 15 departments. The average per department is 25, which is 0% above the South Carolina average.
Are Dorchester County fire departments mostly volunteer? ▼
Yes, 11 of 15 departments (73%) in Dorchester County are volunteer.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
Top fire departments in Dorchester, SC
Source: U.S. Fire Administration — National Fire Department Registry NFDR (National Fire Department Registry) · 2024 NFDR is a voluntary registry; not all departments may be included. Personnel counts include both career and volunteer staff.
