Give these 7 heroes a round of applause on their Burton Fire District promotions

Seven Burton Fire District officers were promoted on Friday; some to fill vacant positions and some to enter news roles within the district.

Formerly engineers, paramedics Brian Wagner and Daniel Byrne, EMT Ethan Webb and EMT/fire investigator John Perry were all promoted to lieutenant, according to a district news release. These men filled vacant positions and will supervise at emergency scenes and manage two of the district’s five fire stations.

Formerly lieutenants, EMTs Justin Blankenship, Christopher Lewis and John Ireland were all promoted to captain on Friday, according to the release. Blankenship and Lewis fill newly created positions that were designed “to assist the fire district in keeping pace with the increasing emergency responses and operational requirements.” They will also manage the district’s training program, fire scenes and stations.

Ireland will fill the vacant medical training officer position and will oversee the district’s emergency medical program, according to the release. Ireland oversaw the addition of Narcan into the district’s medication delivery capability.

“As a fire chief, my responsibilities are for the people we protect and the safety of our firefighters,” stated Burton Fire Chief Harry Rountree. “These are very experienced firefighters I have watched grow, and they are now in position to lead our department into the dynamic and challenging future we are facing in today’s emergency service community. I am proud of each of them.”

The Burton Fire District is an ISO Class 2 fire department that covers about 83 square miles of unincorporated Beaufort County, as well as parts of Beaufort and Port Royal through emergency services contract. The district also provides basic and advanced life support medical services.

The district responded to 2,991 emergency calls including approximately 60 building fires in 2015 and 3,252 emergencies that included approximately 41 building fires in 2016, according to the release.

This story was originally published August 20, 2017 at 1:39 PM with the headline "Give these 7 heroes a round of applause on their Burton Fire District promotions."