For the seventh consecutive year, the Clemson University Fire & EMS Department (CUFD) earned the “Fire Safe South Carolina” Community designation from Fire Safe South Carolina (FSSC). CUFD has earned the Fire Safe SC designation every year since its inception in 2019.
“Clemson University Fire & EMS is honored to be named a Fire Safe Community in South Carolina for the seventh straight year,” said Community Risk Reduction Lieutenant Jennifer Thackston. “This designation reflects our commitment to building a safer Clemson community through education, partnerships, data-informed prevention efforts, and proactive outreach.”
Departments earning this designation promote consistent fire and life safety education, build partnerships within their communities, and use data collected from calls for service to better understand and reduce local risks. The designation showcases that strong community risk reduction (CRR) programs can make communities safer, while strengthening the fire service mission.
CUFD’s community risk reduction efforts support a unique population, comprising students, faculty, staff, residents, and visitors across both campus and the surrounding community.
As one of the departments to receive the original Fire Safe SC designation and each one since, CUFD has been and continues to be a leader in CRR. CUFD representatives led sessions on CRR topics at both the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC International) in Indianapolis and the South Carolina Fire-Rescue Conference in Myrtle Beach in 2025.
Additionally, CUFD’s CRR efforts in 2025 focused not only on outreach volume, but also on strengthening the depth, quality, and long-term sustainability of the department’s prevention and education initiatives. These efforts included fire and life safety education tailored to common community risks, including home safety, cooking safety, and emerging hazards such as lithium-ion battery use.
Additional Highlights for CRR efforts include:
- CUFD conducted over 150 hours of outreach and education in 2025, attending or hosting a total of 68 events with over 7,200 attendees.
- CUFD and its local partners modernized the annual Fire Prevention Day education program for 600 local elementary school students, its highest turnout ever.
- The refresh included a major upgrade of the puppet show stage to match CUFD’s new quint, updating the education script to incorporate current trends and messaging, and introducing a new educational song focused on safe lithium-ion battery charging practices.
- CUFD worked to strengthen key partnerships and increase community engagement by participating in both high-visibility city events, such as the On the Ave series and other community days, as well as recurring venues, like the Clemson Farmers Market.
- CUFD was represented at a national webinar hosted by the International Association of Fire Chiefs on Technology and Best Practices in Community Risk Reduction. The session focused on how departments can integrate technology, data analysis, and partnerships into effective CRR programs.
Launched in 2017, FSSC’s partners include the S.C. State Firefighters’ Association, the S.C. State Association of Fire Chiefs, the S.C. Fire Marshal Association and the S.C. Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators. Together, they announce the South Carolina fire departments that have obtained the Fire Safe SC Community designation each year.
