From staff reports
On Friday night, Feb. 17, in a ceremony at their Grays Hill fire station, attended by Burton firefighters and families both past and present, the Burton Fire District celebrated its 50th anniversary.
Prior to 1973, northern Beaufort County was protected by volunteer firefighters responding in two old fire apparatus carrying only 500 gallons of water each, and whose primary funding came from donations and fundraisers.
With an eye towards incoming growth and the need for funded and structured fire protection, Beaufort state representatives James Moss and W. Brantly Harvey Jr., introduced legislation to create the Burton Fire District. The new fire district would be governed by a board who would have the authority to levy a tax of five mills generating an income of about $23,000. On February 15, 1973, the Burton Fire District was formerly created.
The new fire protection district would immediately be put to the test less than two months later when a Marine A-4 Skyhawk jet from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort crashed in Grays Hill on March 7 of that year.
Today, the Burton Fire District is an advanced emergency medical provider that provides an all-hazard response from five fire stations staffed with career firefighters trained to national standards. In 2016, the Burton Fire District received an Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating of Class Two, placing it in the top 2% of all fire departments in the nation graded by ISO, and signifies “exemplary” fire protection.
Also during the evening ceremony, the fire district recognized Engineer/EMT Brandon Peskopos as its 2022 Firefighter of the Year, and Captain/EMT Ethan Webb as the 2022 Fire Officer of the Year.
The birthday cake was cut by the oldest and youngest member of the Burton Fire District present; Eric Munson, who was a member of the fire district when it was first formed and went on to serve as a volunteer firefighter for more than 27 years, was the oldest member present, and firefighter Cody Parker, who was hired by the district in October of 2022, was the youngest member present.
“Beaufort County has come a long way in modernization and growth,” Burton Fire Chief Harry Rountree said. “We are proud to say that the Burton Fire District and our members have lived up to the vision of our citizens and elected officials in 1973, and have provided the fire and emergency services needed to safely and efficiently support that growth. From initially providing only fire protection to the all-hazard response capability today, which now includes advanced medical capabilities and proactive prevention services, we have continued to evolve into what our citizens need and deserve. Tonight, we celebrated that and all those who served and sacrificed over the years to achieve it.”
