Carolina Foothills Professional Firefighters - Local 5612

08/17/2026

🥎🚒🚓 Supporting Those Who Serve Remembering Those We’ve Lost

Members of IAFF Local 5612 will be participating in the 15th Annual Upstate SC Law Enforcement Memorial Softball Tournament this Saturday, August 22nd, at Century Park in Greer.

For the past 15 years, this tournament has brought law enforcement agencies and public safety personnel from across the Upstate together to honor officers killed in the line of duty and raise money to support their families.

With the support of our community, the tournament has raised more than $110,000, with over $48,000 donated to the families of nine fallen Upstate South Carolina officers.

The fire service and law enforcement may wear different uniforms and perform different jobs, but when one of our public safety families suffers a loss, we stand together.

Local 5612 members are proud to take the field across multiple teams, alongside our brothers and sisters in public safety and support a cause that ensures our fallen are remembered and their families are never forgotten.

📍 Century Park — Greer, SC
📅 Saturday & Sunday, August 22–23

Come out, bring the family, enjoy some softball, and support a great cause.

Brotherhood doesn’t stop at the bay doors. 🚒🚓
Honor the fallen. Support their families. Never forget.

08/07/2026

The cost of providing quality fire protection has changed dramatically.

Apparatus that cost around $425,000 fifteen years ago can now approach $900,000 before adding the equipment necessary to put them in service.

And apparatus are only one piece of the equation. Staffing, competitive wages, training, equipment, facilities, and benefits all continue to increase in cost as our communities grow.

The level of service our communities expect requires the resources to provide it.

At some point, maintaining and improving the fire protection our citizens depend on requires an honest conversation about whether current funding has kept pace with today’s reality.

You can’t fund tomorrow’s fire service with yesterday’s numbers.

🔥Fire Fact Friday🔥🚒 A new fire engine purchased in 2010 cost approximately $425,000. Today, a comparable 2025 fire engine costs $894,000—more than double in just 15 years.
While today’s apparatus include significant advancements in firefighter safety, technology, and reliability, one fact often surprises people:
That price is for the truck alone.
When a new fire engine arrives, it’s essentially an empty shell. Before it can respond to emergencies, it must be equipped with radios, fire hoses, medical equipment, extrication tools, ladders, thermal imaging cameras, and countless other lifesaving tools.
Fire engines are one of the largest investments a fire department makes, second to the staff, but they’re built to serve our community and respond to thousands of emergencies throughout their service life. 🇺🇸

07/29/2026

An injury to one is an injury to all.

The strength of the labor movement has always come from firefighters standing together regardless of department, city, or state.

Every firefighter deserves the ability to raise concerns about safety, working conditions, and the well-being of their members without fear of retaliation. Safe firefighters mean safer communities.

We stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters of Charleston Firefighters Association - Local 61 and support every firefighter’s right to advocate for a safer workplace and fair treatment.

The IAFF was built on unity, and moments like these remind us why unions matter. We will continue to support those who fight for the rights, safety, and dignity of the fire service.

Greensboro firefighters stand strong in solidarity with our Brother, President John Baker of Charleston (SC) Local 61 and the IAFF! When a city ignores the health and safety of firefighters, they also ignore the safety of citizens.

07/27/2026

🚨 Local 5612 Members 🚨

Please take a few minutes today to:

✅ Check the Discord for the latest union updates, announcements, and discussions.

✅ Make sure you’ve joined the new GroupMe. This will be our primary way to send out quick updates, reminders, and time-sensitive information.

If you haven’t received the GroupMe invite yet or are having trouble joining, reach out to me and I’ll get you added.

Staying connected helps us keep everyone informed and ensures no one misses important union information.

In Solidarity,
Connor White
President, IAFF Local 5612

07/22/2026

As communities grow, so do the demands placed on emergency services and it’s workers

Every new neighborhood, business, and roadway means more 911 calls, more medical emergencies, more vehicle accidents, and more fires.

At the same time, fire departments are expected to meet increasingly higher training standards, maintain specialized rescue capabilities, purchase modern lifesaving equipment, and respond around the clock.

Many people don’t realize that the majority of a fire department’s budget often goes toward personnel. Firefighters don’t just fight fires they respond to heart attacks, strokes, overdoses, vehicle collisions, hazardous materials incidents, technical rescues, severe weather, and countless other emergencies, Firefighters have gone from just fighting fires, to becoming trained first responders to levels of EMT or even Paramedic at some departments

Having enough trained firefighters on duty directly impacts response times, safety, and the level of service a community receives.

A well-funded fire department isn’t about having newer trucks or bigger buildings

(that’s the fun stuff)

it’s about ensuring there are enough qualified people available to answer the call when someone’s worst day happens, and not at “minimum staffing”

And if your property taxes ever increase to support your local fire department, it’s worth remembering what that investment is really paying for.

The hope is that, should you or someone you love ever dial 911, there are enough trained firefighters on duty to respond quickly, provide the help you need, and make it home safely themselves.

Public safety is one of those things most people never think about until they need it and by then, everyone hopes the system has been prepared long before the emergency happens.

07/21/2026

07/21/2026

🚒 The IAFF's TAIR Division recently partnered with Terrace Professional Firefighters Local 2685 to study how the department's reliance on off-duty fire fighters affects emergency response.

The results are clear: relying on off-duty to respond from home causes critical delays when seconds matter most.

Two cannot safely fight a structure fire alone. That’s why international standards call for at least four fire fighters on every engine company – and why the IAFF is fighting for across North America.

07/16/2026

Congratulations brother! Job well done!

07/10/2026

Ready to become active with the Spartanburg County Community Emergency Response Team / SCSAR - Search and Rescue Team?

If you have been looking for a way to serve your community during emergencies, disasters, searches, shelters, community events, and more...this is your starting point.

Spartanburg County CERT has a 1-Day Basic CERT Class coming up next Saturday (July 18), starting at 8am and lunch will be provided.

Everyone who completes the training will leave with:

✅ CERT Certificate
✅ Stop the Bleed Certificate
✅ CERT Disaster Response Bag
✅ Practical knowledge that can make a real difference when it matters most

The training is free.
The response bag is free.
The knowledge and experience you gain are invaluable.

This class is for those who are seriously interested in becoming active in the Spartanburg County CERT program.

Learn more about CERT here:
www.spartanburgcert.org

To register, create a MyImpact account here:
https://tinyurl.com/betimpact

Show up. Get trained. Join the team.

07/08/2026