Bamberg County thanks firefighters for daily sacrifices to protect community

Bamberg County used its May 19 homepage update to thank the firefighters who protect a county of 12,796 people spread across 393 square miles, a job carried by 109 active firefighters, most of them volunteers.

The message was more than a routine note of appreciation. In a county where Bamberg is the seat and Denmark, Ehrhardt, Govan and Olar are spread across rural ground, emergency response depends on departments working together, sharing coverage and using compatible equipment, Fire Coordinator Paul H. Eubanks has said.

That reality helps explain why county fire officials have continued recruiting. Bamberg County Fire Service says it is actively seeking residents to become volunteer firefighters, and South Carolina’s Volunteer Incentive Program offers qualifying volunteers a $3,000 taxable income reduction. For a county that has seen its population fall from 13,311 in the 2020 census to 12,796 in the July 1, 2025 estimate, keeping fire stations staffed is not just a personnel issue but a public-safety necessity.

Eubanks has embodied that volunteer ethic himself. He retired from the United States Air Force Reserve in October 2021 after 33 years of military service. A 2020 report said he received the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal and had logged more than 7,000 volunteer service hours with the Denmark Fire Department, a record that reflects how closely local fire protection is tied to community service.

County fire materials say Bamberg County has eight fire departments and 109 active firefighters, the majority volunteers. That staffing picture gives the county’s public thanks real weight: in a place where calls can stretch across a wide county footprint, appreciation is also a reminder that the system depends on people willing to answer the pager, leave home and serve neighbors they know by name.

The City of Bamberg’s fire history page traces the Bamberg Fire Department’s early history to 1869-1925, showing how long fire protection has been part of local life. More than a century later, Bamberg County’s May 19 message underscored the same point in modern terms: the county’s safety net still rests on volunteers, shared equipment and the steady work of local firefighters.