COLUMBIA, S.C. — At the State House Wednesday, South Carolina's Fire Marshal, Chief Jonathan Jones, talked about how prepared South Carolina is for natural disasters.
Jones oversees the state’s Urban Search and Rescue Team, which specializes in responding to natural disasters.
The chief said they have mobilization plans in place, but need more funding so they can stay prepared and save lives.
“We’re going to need additional funding to replace the worn, damaged and outdated equipment," Jones told a panel of lawmakers. "We’re funding these to the best of our abilities from the fire academy funds and from fire marshal funds but honestly, we’re funding it the best we can and it’s just simply not enough.”
Chief Jones also said they’ll need more funding to recruit more first responders. He said they're lacking in the strength in numbers.
He specifically referred to the tragic Surfside condo collapse in Florida. When asked if South Carolina could handle an event like that, Jones said they have the capability to respond, but not the capacity. By capacity, Jones meant man power.
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"We really need some ongoing funding to maintain what really is the state’s only capability to respond to a structural collapse like that," Jones told lawmakers. "With the gracious support of Director Farr, LLR is requesting a million dollars recurring every year in their budget this year specifically for Urban Search and Rescue, fire fighter mobilization and HART.”
HART stands for helicopter aquatic rescue team.