Lake EMS Begins Feb. 1

Hard work is paying off at Lake Waccamaw for the new Emergency Services Department at Lake Waccamaw Fire and Rescue. The town received their state certification on Jan. 26.

Jerry Gore was named Interim Chief in early December after Brandy Nance submitted her resignation, and he has been working diligently to get the program off the ground.

Gore retired in 2021 after 15 years with Lake Waccamaw Fire. He was named chief in 2013, when the department was in disarray after the departure of a numbest of members, the split with Lake Waccamaw Rescue Auxiliary, and a voluntary shut down by the town.

Gore rebuilt the LWFD and led the station as it rebuilt its ranks and brought the fire rating from a 9 -- nearly the lowest ranking of the state fire marshal's office -- to a 4. Public Works Director Robert Bailey, an assistant chief with the station, also submitted his resignation.

The resignations came weeks before the town was set to start its own EMS service through the fire department Jan. 1.

The LWFR will begin EMS Services on Feb. 1, 2023.