This is announcing a special meeting to be held on June 12th at 6:30 p.m. at the South Strand Recreation Center. The Murrells Inlet- Garden City Fire District is planning on placing a referendum on the ballot in July. The purpose of the special meeting is to allow an opportunity for the fire district to explain the issue to our members and the public and providing an opportunity for questions. If you are interested in learning more about this issue you can read the consultants report on the fire district's website.

The Murrells Inlet-Garden City Fire District includes the fastest-growing area of the fastest-growing county in South Carolina: Horry County, up 82,000 new residents between the 2010 and 2020 census.

In that time, the number of 911 calls to the District for fire or ambulance service has increased 145 percent.

Nearly half the calls required more than one fire/EMS vehicle to respond at the same time. Almost 300 times last year alone, all three of the District ambulances were already tied up, and the District couldn’t respond.

Also, responding to fire / EMS calls without adequate staff puts the public and first responders at risk. Now, the number of District firefighter / EMS personnel must double to meet national standards for how many crew members are required on each emergency vehicle.

As an outside audit in December reported, “the District is significantly understaffed and on the verge of not being able to provide reliable and timely emergency services,” which will result in higher fire insurance rates on all our homes and businesses.

Your YES vote to invest an additional 7-mills will cost just $56 a year on an owner-occupied $200,000 home.

Your YES vote will also allow the District to phase in another 7-mills, as needed, over the next five years.

Vote YES July 25th!

Paid for by Friends of Murrells Inlet-Garden City Fire and Rescue, Tom Swatzel, Chairman, PO Box 1311, Murrells Inlet, SC 2957