Lady's Island, St. Helena Island, meet your new fire district officer

Fighting fires is in his blood, so it was no surprise that Scott Sampson was promoted to lieutenant with the Lady’s Island-St. Helena Island Fire District.

The fire district on June 7 held a ceremony, led by Fire Chief Bruce Kline, at Station 24 for the former senior firefighter, according to a district news release.

Sampson’s father, a retired assistant fire chief in Los Angeles, traveled to South Carolina for his son’s ceremony and pinned him, Sampson said Monday afternoon.

That moment meant a lot to him.

“It’s an honor to be promoted to lieutenant,” Sampson said. “There was a lot of pride and excitement there.”

His father understands the responsibilities and sense of pride that come along with moving up the ranks in a fire department, so it was especially meaningful that he was there to witness and participate in last week’s ceremony, Sampson said. He noted his brother-in-law and father-in-law are also retired from the fire service, as well as numerous friends of his back in California.

“The lieutenant position in the fire service is very special,” Sampson said, explaining that in his new role, he will continue working in the field with firefighters but also will interact with the battalion chief and other administrative personnel.

Sampson said he lives in Beaufort — “just over the bridge” — with his wife and daughter. He has been in South Carolina since 2005 and with the Lady’s Island-St. Helena Island Fire District since 2006. He has been working as a firefighter and an emergency medical technician since 1986 when he started his career in Los Angeles.

He said he still loves his job after 30 years in the field.

“It’s a good feeling being able to help people,” Sampson said. “And it’s a great career. ... I love what I do.”

This story was originally published June 13, 2017 at 3:26 PM with the headline "Lady's Island, St. Helena Island, meet your new fire district officer."