The Bluffton Township Fire District was formally founded in 1978 as a special fire tax district by the Beaufort County Council to provide emergency services in the southern portion of the County and the Town of Bluffton. Initially, the district was made up of three independent volunteer fire departments – Chelsea (Station 32), Pritchardville (Station 31), and Bluffton (Station 30). These local departments were created by concerned citizens seeing a need for fire and medical services in the area prior to the County combining them into a single department in 1978. Over the years the department evolved from a volunteer service and started hiring paid firefighters. In 2007, the district became a fully career department that now serves a population of approximately 75,000 residents with 178 personnel within its 246 square miles. Today, the Bluffton Township Fire District is committed to protecting the lives and property of its citizens, while providing proactive all-hazards public safety services to address all its community’s risks from nine stations, located strategically throughout its jurisdiction.