Fire chief in Summerville announces retirement

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - The fire chief of Summerville Fire & Rescue is stepping down after 30 years of fire service.

Chief Richard Waring IV, a lifelong resident of Summerville, joined the Summerville Fire Department after graduating high school, according to his bio.

A few short months later, the Charleston Fire Department hired him and he spent 20 years rising through the ranks to the position of battalion chief.

During his career with the Charleston Fire Department, Waring served on the Department’s Hazardous Material Team, Maritime Assistance Team, and the Lowcountry Incident Management Team, and helped usher in improvements to the Charleston Fire Department in the wake of the tragic Sofa Super Store incident where nine Charleston firefighters died in the line of duty on June 18, 2007.

In 2011, he returned to Summerville to become fire chief in one of the fastest-growing communities in the state. Under his leadership, the fire department earned a Class 1 ISO rating in 2017. He also oversaw the construction of four fire stations and the rebuild of the department’s training facility; began an in-house recruit school to better train and retain Summerville firefighters, and established a special operations team to make Summerville Fire & Rescue an “all hazards” response agancy.

Waring continued his education at Columbia Southern University during his time in Charleston, earning an associate degree in Fire Science.

He and his wife, Alison, live in Summerville with their three daughters.

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