Fire Department
For non-emergency calls, dial 803-425-6040. For emergencies, dial 911.
The City of Camden Fire Department covers a 50 square mile service area, including all properties within city limits as well as some unincorporated areas in Kershaw County. Our combination department, made up of 28 career firefighters and 18 volunteer firefighters. We maintain two stations in order to keep response times low. Station 1 is located downtown, adjacent to City Hall, and Station 2 is located on Hwy 97 the Dusty Bend area of town.
We respond to nearly 2000 calls annually, and we are rated by the Insurance Services Office as a Class 2 agency, meaning our citizens save money on residential and commercial insurance premiums. Currently led by Interim Chief Eddie Gardner, our staff receives a high level of training and is equipped with state-of-the-art technology.
Our Department has a full-time Fire Marshal that performs routine fire safety inspections of public buildings and blueprint reviews for fire safety issues in new construction.
Our Public Education Division offers many different programs to the citizens of Camden and the surrounding community such as Fire and Life Safety presentations, home safety inspections, Smoke alarm Installation Program, child safety seat installations, and our clown and puppet shows that we perform for approximately 1500-2000 students during Fire Prevention Month in October, but are available throughout the year. This award-winning fire prevention program utilizes characterization, clowning, music and magic to teach citizens and students of all ages fire safety. If you would like to schedule one of our safety programs for your school or organization, please contact Interim Chief Eddie Gardner at 803-425-6040 or egardner@camdensc.org.
Our staff provides and installs smoke alarms and smoke alarm batteries free of charge, upon request. Please call 803-425-6040 to request a smoke alarm check at your residence.
We recommend that our citizens remember and practice these safety tips:
- Have a smoke alarm on every level of your home
- Test your smoke alarms monthly
- Replace smoke alarm batteries twice a year
- Replace smoke alarms that are 10 years old or older
- Develop a home escape plan and practice it
- Teach children that matches and lighters are tools for adults, not toys for children
The Camden Fire Department also offers free child safety seat installations. Before you bring your child safety seat to either of our stations for an inspection, please make sure your child is using the recommended car seat, as determined by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.