LETTER TO THE EDITOR: A salute to our county’s excellent law officers and first responders
I read with interest your story “The Public Square blaze: Firefighters lost a building, saved a block” in last week’s News & Press. It reminds us all how very fortunate we are in Darlington County to have so many conscientious and exemplary firefighters, law enforcement officers and first responders. We sometimes take these people for granted, and we lose sight of the important services they provide for our community. Darlington is fortunate to have Chief Kelvin Washington, a former U.S. Marshal, as chief of Public Safety! Where else in a town of 6,000 residents will you find a more qualified chief? City Fire Chief Pat Cavanaugh was presented the Citizen of the Year Award by the Greater Darlington Chamber of Commerce in 2018. Obviously Chief Cavanaugh is well qualified to be chief, and the citizens of my hometown are very lucky to have him. Darlington County has a fine sheriff who is a former chief of police with the City of Hartsville, and former chief deputy with the Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff James Hudson is a wonderful representative for Darlington County, as is County Fire Chief Ricky Flowers. Again, we are lucky to have quality individuals such as these in our public service. Let’s not forget City of Hartsville Police Chief Jerry Thompson, City of Hartsville Fire Chief Jeff Burr, Town of Lamar Police Chief Carl Scott and Town of Society Hill Police Chief Michael August, as well as Darlington County Emergency Management Director Kenny Bowen. All are great examples of what first responders and public service should be. The last big fire like this in Darlington I remember was the Park Terrace Hotel in 1968. These occurrences are rare, but we have a secret weapon. We have personnel who are highly trained, and are ready to tackle the job. As one of 67,000 residents of Darlington County, I just want to say “Thank you!” Charles E. Saverance, Lamar