CCFR July 3 2009

Ms. Mattie Craven conducted a dedication at Station # 17 in Springtown, Friday morning 3-July at 0900. Ms. Craven and her husband, the late County Councilman LD Craven, participated with many other community residents 20 years ago to bring fire protection to the Springtown Community. Like so many other areas of the county, no fire department served Springtown back then. The Cravens and many others spent countless hours performing fund raisers, turkey shoots on cold winter evenings and knocking on doors to acquire funds. The former Westvaco Corporation donated the ¾ of an acre of land where the station now sits and local residents constructed the building in their spare time, begging for materials and spending the money they raised. The Fire Department was originally established as the Edisto Rural Fire Department in the late 1980s, but merged with the Canadys Volunteer Fire Department in the early 1990s. It became Station # 17 when County Council consolidated all the volunteer fire departments to form Fire-Rescue in 1994.

Ms. Craven contacted Headquarters in March of this year, advising that she still had a little money left in an account used to build the building in 1989. She

	Ms. Mattie Craven conducted a dedication at Station # 17 in Springtown, Friday morning 3-July at 0900. Ms. Craven and her husband, the late County Councilman LD Craven, participated with many other community residents 20 years ago to bring fire protection to the Springtown Community. Like so many other areas of the county, no fire department served Springtown back then. The Cravens and many others spent countless hours performing fund raisers, turkey shoots on cold winter evenings and knocking on doors to acquire funds. The former Westvaco Corporation donated the ¾ of an acre of land where the station now sits and local residents constructed the building in their spare time, begging for materials and spending the money they raised. The Fire Department was originally established as the Edisto Rural Fire Department in the late 1980s, but merged with the Canadys Volunteer Fire Department in the early 1990s. It became Station # 17 when County Council consolidated all the volunteer fire departments to form Fire-Rescue in 1994. Ms. Craven contacted Headquarters in March of this year, advising that she still had a little money left in an account used to build the building in 1989. She
	wanted to erect two flag poles in honor of the firefighters with what was left of the funds. After the poles were installed, Ms. Craven asked if she could hold a dedication at the facility. She coordinated the event, bring community members together, preparing food and a small ceremony to rededicate the building to the service of God and the honor of our firefighters. She presented the original deed for the property to County Councilman Gene Whetsell and presented Fire Commission Chairman LaVern Polk with a memorial wreath honoring all fallen firefighters.