The department is located on North Carolina's coast and has been through many storms and hurricanes, but this time was different.
"We're not used to what we got this time at all. It was just so much worse. It was a brand new experience for all of us," said Chief Jeffrey Stotesberry.
The Swan Quarter fire station has the highest elevation of all the fire stations in their county, but the area was also hit with the most water. The fire station was flooded with 20 inches of rain and the street out front was lost under six feet of water.
Swan Quarter is the seat of Hyde County, a widespread area which has farmland and about 6,000 residents. The fire department has about 25 members.
As usual when a storm hits, they moved their fire trucks to even higher ground outside of town, where the elevation is 6 to 8 feet higher. "We had to move the trucks four times during the storm and we still lost them," Stotesberry said.
The department had three pumpers, a chief's car and an equipment truck. The equipment truck can probably be saved but the rest was totaled.
Inside the fire station they lost their cascade system, records in file cabinets and many other items. "Everything got wet," the chief said. "I'd say 50 percent of our spare communications equipment got ruined, and all kinds of portable equipment."
Even the kitchen equipment was damaged, which hurts their ability to hold the fund raisers that they depend on for survival.
In addition, some firefighters' personal vehicles were damaged or destroyed, including the chief's and assisant chief's vehicles, because they were answering emergency calls when the storm hit. Many people were trapped inside their houses as they filled with water, and their vehicles were already flooded so they couldn't leave. As the storm raged, firefighters brought pick up trucks and tractors to get the people out.
Stotesberry said the community is still cleaning up. There are still homes full of mud and people dragging out ruined furniture and carpets. The chief said there are many elderly residents who need a lot of help. But so does the fire department.
"We're just trying to reach out to see what kind of help is available," he said. "So far a lot has been offered."
Many other fire departments, especially from Wayne County, have been loaning trucks to Swan Quarter and answering calls for them. Stotesberry said the Fairfield VFD has been answering calls alongside them, and the Burlington Fire Department, a nearby paid department, has been incredibly helpful. "They've been a real real blessing to us," he said.
"I'd just like to thank everybody that has come to our aid. We're really getting a lot of support from around the state," the chief said.
The Swan Quarter Fire Department does have insurance but Stotesberry said they are still waiting to see how much of their losses will be covered. "We didn't have enough firefighting equipment as it was. Now we don't have any firefighting equipment that belongs to us at all," he said. Their greatest need is to replace the fire trucks that they lost.
Any fire departments that would like to assist the Swan Quarter Fire Department or donate equipment can contact Chief Stotesberry at the fire station at (252) 926-2231, or on his cell phone at (252) 542-0901.
