As Dorchester County continues to experience explosive growth, county officials say public safety must grow with it. On Monday, leaders broke ground on a new fire and EMS station in Summers Corner, a project they say is part of a larger effort to meet increasing demand across the region. “This actual fire station will reduce my insurance,” said County Councilman Jay Byars. “My homeowners insurance was $2,600 and change this year. My guess is it’ll probably drop down to about $1,800. And that’s going to be real money and real savings in our pocket.”
The Summers Corner area currently accounts for 4 to 5% of the county’s call volume, according to Fire Chief Tres Atkinson. “With this neighborhood growing 1,000 houses per year, it’s really made a difference in the type of calls,” he said. “We are very much in this neighborhood a lot.” Atkinson said the station’s location is strategic, helping to bring nearby subdivisions within the five-mile radius required for ISO Class 4 insurance ratings. “Those new subdivisions down 165: Homecoming, Boyle Plantation, those are just outside of that from the ponds. So this new station, it actually puts them within the five miles,” he said. “Now they will enjoy that Class 4 ISO as well.” Currently, the closest paid station is eight to nine minutes away. “Three to four minutes could be life-saving for a lot of reasons,” Atkinson said. “That’s going to cut that at least in half, if not better.”
The station will be a double-stacked bay able to house multiple trucks and EMS units. “We wanted to make sure we built a station that didn’t just meet the needs of today, but also the needs of 20 years from now, 30 years from now,” Byars said. Funding for the project comes in part from Lennar, the area’s developer. “Lennar also actually contributed $1.2 million as well toward the project,” Byars said. “We’re probably spending about five total.” County leaders say this is just one of several projects being planned as development expands. “We’re going to continue, as growth continues, to put stations in the right place,” Byars said. “If it’s a decent-sized development, we’re going to be asking for them to contribute significantly, if not build the station outright.” Construction is expected to take about a year.
