The Mount Pleasant Fire Department participates as part of Charleston County’s Marine Incident Response Team (MIRT), a countywide response team created to address maritime emergencies. The Port of Charleston is host to multiple large container ships, tankers, bulk carriers, military vessels, and Cruise liners that operate in and out of the Charleston Harbor 24/7, 365 days a year. If a Shipboard fire were to happen, this one maritime emergency could overwhelm a single agency. Therefore, a multiagency approach provides the most effective response. The Mount Pleasant Fire Department strives to build relationships with our municipal, county, state, and federal partners in order to provide the best protection to our citizens in an unforeseen Maritime event.
The Charleston County Emergency Management Department has received grants to acquire specialized equipment and send personnel to advanced training, such as the shipboard firefighting schools located in Virginia and Texas. The MIRT trailer is equipped with specialized equipment such as dewatering appliances, an exothermic torch, personal protective equipment (PPE), piercing equipment, portable pumps, high expansion foam generator, thermal image cameras with image transmitting capabilities, and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). All are available for use to the county-wide MIRT.
