Bluffton hires new fire chief as state probe into district continues
A firefighter who started his career 25 years ago as a teenage volunteer will soon take the helm of Bluffton’s fire district.
David Hindman, who currently serves as Chief of Operations for the Greenville City Fire Department, will be joining the Bluffton Township Fire District as chief by the start of the new year.
Hindman will join the department six months after the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division opened a criminal investigation into allegations of embezzlement within it. The case is still open, but it is currently under review of prosecutors to see whether charges should be brought, according to a spokesperson with SLED.
The Public Integrity Unit, a collaboration between the 14th and 1st Circuit Solicitor’s Offices to investigate and prosecute cases of alleged public corruption, is currently reviewing the case, according to Jeff Kidd, a spokesperson for the 14th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
Hindman has more than 25 years of fire service experience, starting out as a junior volunteer firefighter at the age of 16, according to a press release from Bluffton Fire. He holds a master’s degree in public administration and a bachelor’s degree in fire services administration from Waldorf University in Iowa, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in public administration.
Following a recommendation from the fire commission’s board, the Beaufort County Administrator approved Hindman’s employment offer. The county’s code of ordinances, which detail the relationship between the Bluffton’s fire district and the county, require that county administrators are the ultimate decision-makers about the hiring and firing of Bluffton’s fire chiefs.
In February, Paul Boulware, the district’s former chief, was replaced suddenly by one of his deputies.
At the time, spokesperson Stephen Combs described Boulware’s retirement as “voluntary.” Beaufort County opened an investigation into the matter, but questions about the nature, trigger and scope of the probe have not been disclosed.
That investigation was referred to the South Carolina Ethics Commission.
A few months later, the board’s chairman, Rick Krob, was suspended from actions he took in relation to the pending investigation involving the former chief. Krob’s suspension was said to last until the investigation was over and when a permanent new chief is hired by the county administrator.
The department has not yet received word about the status of the state’s probe, Combs said.
This story was originally published November 12, 2025 at 12:42 PM.
