Community on edge after 2 unexplained fires

I don't know

The hydrants in Midway fire department's coverage area are not being properly tested. The fire department is not allowed by Georgetown water and sewer district to test the hydrants. But GCWS is not doing the job themselves. I have been told by knowledgable persons that they do not keep proper records on location and flow rates if they know them at all.

While the fire chief has no marbles, he's not the problem. Mike Mock is the problem. Doug Eggiman is not one to push for change because he has his hands tied by Mock. Mock is old school just like Rusty Thomas. Fortunately for Midway's employees, Doug Eggiman would never allow them to be in the situation that occurred in Charleston. Midway had a good Fire Chief in Chief Dan Wetzel, which resigned/retired due to frustrations of being unable to make progress due to Mock. Unfortunately when you live in a small town like Pawley’s, the "Good Ole' Boys" system takes over and people get positions they shouldn't be in. I.e. Chief Eggiman and Eggiman's wife that runs the 911 center. With these people in these positions Mock has his hands on the strings and watches his puppets dance.

Hmm, housing slump, declining property values, increasing property taxes, house worth more burned than standing. Nope, the math is too much for me to handle.

I think to put Chief Eggiman in the same boat with Rusty Thomas is a gross mischaracterization. Midway is a small southern department but they are well equipped and have a well defined command structure. Chief Eggiman's wife is no longer the 911 director; she was director years before he became chief. Midway is a fine department.I have always been impressed by the hard work and good attitude their men and women have shown on emergency scenes. As for the good old boy system many of the Midway employees and officers are from different states. They are a small department in a small community and they do not have unlimited resources. Charleston city is over 200 strong and has had the reputation for resisting change and improvement for decades. Everyone in fire service in South Carolina has know that for at least the 20 years I have been around. Sounds like sour grapes to me.

oh how brave wrote:

wetzel was fired because he is a prevert, had child porn on his computer.

Wetzel was not fired he retired as Fire Chief, it was the previous Assitant Chief Frank Bollinger that was arrested.

Actaully - I think I compared Mike Mock to Rusty Thomas, not Doug Eggiman and also stated "Fortunately for Midway's employees, Doug Eggiman would never allow them to be in the situation that occurred in Charleston". When I left Midway 1 year ago Mrs. Eggiman was still Director of 911 so I think your facts our incorrect there also. As for the "Good Ole Boys" I was referring to upper management. That comment had nothing to do with Operational level employees. As for the fire fighters @ Midway, they were some of the best people I have ever worked with or met in my life and they are great firefighters. While they do a great job, they could do so much more if it wasn't for a few previously named people.

Sorry for the confusion.

P.S. MFR is allowed to test hydrants when ever they would like.

A smoke detector that does not connect to a company that monitors the house is useless when there is no one at home.

Each house needs an alarm system that detects smoke and illegal entry and sends an alarm to a central monitoring company.

Sprinklers should be installed during construction or renovation. Dry systems are best. Wet systems often malfunction and soak the house.

I managed 22 buildings that were sprinkler protected. One brick building had three million dollars in damage because the fire got into the attic. The roof kept the fire fighters from accessing the fire and the sprinklers flooded the entire building.

I've read that no one has died in a sprinkler protected home.

Lava rock or feather stone makes a great mulch around a house. Does not need to be replaced every year, keeps weeds down, and will not burn.

I fully agree with Ex MFR Employee. He seems to be right on about MFR.