Staff relocated after discovery of bed bugs at 2 Awendaw-McClellanville Fire Department stations

CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – The Awendaw-McClellanville Fire Department said Thursday that it has identified a bed bug issue at Fire Station 2 in Awendaw and Fire Station 4 in McClellanville.

At first sign of the potential issue, department officials said they acted immediately to investigate the situation. 

An outside professional remediation company was brought in to conduct a thorough inspection and initiate an appropriate treatment plan.

“Due to the nature of the fire service, our personnel are often placed in less-than-favorable environments and regularly come into contact with a wide range of hazards- bed bugs are just one of these hazards. It is our responsibility to identify and mitigate these hazards quickly and efficiently so that we can return to normal operations and continue serving our community without interruption,” said department officials in a Facebook post.

All staff members from affected stations have been temporarily relocated, and crews will continue responding to calls in the service area.

“We’ve worked closely with our automatic aid and mutual aid partners to maintain full emergency response coverage, so there has been no impact on service to the communities,” officials added. “We are committed to resolving this matter as quickly and effectively as possible. The safety and wellbeing of our personnel remain our top priority, and we appreciate the continued support and understanding of the community as we work through this issue.”

A timeline for mitigation was not given.